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Dolume 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/lennyorphanortriOOhosm 


Lenny   is   made  an  Orphan. 


LENNY,  THE  ORPHAN; 


•OK, 


TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 


MARGARET  HOSMER, 

Author   of  "Cherry,  the   Missionary,"  "Year  in  the   Sunday- 
School,"  "The  Voyage  of  the  White  Falcon,"  &c.,&c. 


PHILADELPHIA : 
PORTER   &   COATES. 


Copyright,  1869,  by 
PORTER   &   COATES. 


Master  Iangdon  Mitchell, 


THIS    LITTLE    STORY    IS    INSCRIBED. 


BY    HIS    FATHER'S    GRATEFUL    FRIEND, 


THE  AUTHOK. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter     I.  Lenny  is  made  an  Orphan 

"  II.  Lenny  finds  Friends     . 

"  III.  Lenny's  New  Home 

"  IV.  Lenny's  Antipathy 

"  V.  Lenny's  Lessons     . 

"  VI.  Lenny's  Visit 

"  VII.  Lenny's  New  Acquaintance 

"  VIII.  Lenny's  "  Little  Johnny" 

"  IX.  Lenny's  Fever 

"  X.  Lenny's  Recovery  . 

"  XI.  Lenny's  Visitors    . 


PAOE 

7 

17 

29 

40 

58 

72 

94 

104 

116 

134 

14G 


(v) 


V1  CONTENTS. 


PAQB 


Chapter  XII.  Lenny's  Visit  to  Uncue  Nep — The 

Sailor's  Story     .        .        .  .160 

"      XIII.  Lenny's  Drive  to  Elm  Village  .     188 

XIV.  Lenny's  Disappearance        .  .     201 

XV.  Lenny's  Prison     .        .        .  .217 

XVI.  Lenny's  Wanderings    .         .  .    233 

'       X"VJI.  Lenny's  Peace  and  Joy        .  .     244 


THE 


ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 


CHAPTER    FIRST. 

LENNY  IS  MADE  AN  ORPHAN. 

NE  cold  November  night,  when  the  frost 
lay  thick  upon  the  ground,  and  the  air 
was  chilly  with  the  breath  of  coming 
winter;  the  fire-bells  began  to  strike, 
and  a  red  flame  shot  up,  and  brightened  the  sky 
that  overspread  the  southern  part  of  a  great 
city. 

There  were  few  fine  dwelling-houses  in  that 
neighborhood,  for  it  bordered  close  upon  the 
river,  and,  besides   stores   and  warehouses,   was 

(7) 


«         ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

chiefly  occupied  by  hotels  and  cheap  lodgings. 
It  was  a  tenement  in  use  in  this  capacity  that 
had  taken  fire,  and  was  now  blazing  with  mad 
fury,  owing  to  the  wooden  outhouses  and  other  in- 
flammable material  connected  with  it.  The  value 
of  the  building  itself  was  not  great,  and  it  was 
poorly  and  scantily  furnished ;  but  it  was 
crowded  with  human  beings,  who,  owing  to  the 
sudden  and  destructive  character  of  the  fire, 
were  not  alive  to  their  peril,  until  almost  all  hope 
of  escape  was  cut  off.  Shrieks  of  fear  and 
anguish  rose  above  the  roaring  of  the  flames,  and 
cries  of  entreaty  from  the  already  rescued  in 
behalf  of  those  left  in  danger,  mingled  in  wild 
confusion  ;  while  the  firemen,  running  to  and  fro 
with  their  loud  shouts,  rendered  the  scene  one  of 
terrible  excitement. 

Half-clad  figures  were  lowered  by  ropes  and 
bed-clothes  from  upper  windows,  and,  shivering 
and  frightened,  sought  refuge  in  the  adjacent 
warehouses,   which   were   humanely  opened   for 


LENNY  IS  MADE  AN  ORPHAN.  9 

their  temporary  reception.  The  street  shone  as 
in  the  light  of  midday,  and  the  white  and  terri- 
fied faces  of  the  poor  souls  just  snatched  from 
danger,  looked  fearfully  up  at  the  tottering 
flame-wreathed  .  building,  and  scarcely  in  their 
scattered  senses  realized  their  own  escape. 

The  steady  jets  of  water  poured  down  upon  the 
flames  without  any  apparent  effect ;  they  only 
seemed  to  mock  such  feeble  resistance  and  rage 
still  higher,  till  by-and-by  the  half-consumed 
frame-work  fell  in  with  a  crash,  and  burning 
fragments  of  the  wood  were  scattered  round, 
glowing  for  a  little  while,  then  yielding  to  the 
spashmg  streams  from  the  engines,  and  expiring 
in  black  charred  logs  and  burnt  splinters. 

Kind  people  from  the  hotels  came  hurrying  in 
to  aid  the  half-clothed  beings  who  had  taken 
shelter  in  the  stores,  and  many  good  unselfish 
actions  proved  the  beauty  of  human  charity  and 
sympathy  in  trouble. 

Standing  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of  women 


10       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

and  children  in  the  nearest  shelter  to  the  burnt 
building,  was  a  little  boy,  five  or  six  years  old, 
but  small  of  his  age,  barefooted  and  without  any 
clothing  except  a  long  nightgown. 

His  eyes  were  wide  open,  and  expressed  terror 
and  dismay  ;  his  face  was  singularly  white  and 
rigid  for  his  age,  and  the  fixed  look  it  wore  was 
painfully  unnatural. 

"  Who  is  this  little  soul  ?"  asked  a  stout  good- 
humored  woman  kindly,  as  she  drew  him  towards 
some  casks  that  were  rolled  on  their  sides  against 
the  wall,  and  lifted  him  up  that  she  might  look 
in  his  face. 

"  Lord  bless  the  child  !"  she  exclaimed,  as  she 
touched  his  flesh ;  "  he  is  stone  cold,  and  white 
as  a  ghost ;  where's  your  mother,  my  pet  ?" 

The  child's  face  began  to  work  as  if  with  a 
spasm,  and  his  breast  heaved  convulsively,  but 
he  made  no  sound. 

Some  of  the  women  came  forward  and  looked 
at  him,  but  none  recognised  him  as  part  of  their 


LENNY  IS  MADE  AN  ORPHAN.  11 

families.  At  last  a  little  girl  of  twelve  or  there- 
abouts said,  suddenly  remembering  his  face, 
"  Why,  he's  that  pale  lady's  child  that  came  in 
the  cars  with  us  to-day ;  don't  you  know  him, 
auntie?     Where's  your  mamma,  Lenny?" 

At  this  question,  repeated  by  one  whom  he 
seemed  to  remember,  the  boy  broke  out  into  a 
low  long  cry  of  desolate  misery  that  went  to 
every  listener's  heart ;  and  the  woman  the  girl 
called  Auntie  exclaimed,  clasping  her  hands  with 
a  countenance  of  horror  : — 

"  She  was  a  lame  lady,  and  she  was  left  in  the 
burnt  house.  She  had  had  a  fall  that  hurt  her 
terribly,  and  so  she  could  not  escape  from  the 
flames  !" 

In  a  moment  every  one  joined  in  the  outcry, 
and  most  of  them,  disregarding  their  appearance 
and  the  uselessness  of  the  task,  rushed  out  to  make 
a  frantic  search  in  the  glowing  ruins,  but  were 
withheld  by  the  calmer  by-standers,  who  made 
inquiries  on  all  hands   as  to  when  the  missing 


12       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

woman  had  last  been  seen,  and  at  length  con- 
vinced themselves,  beyond  a  hope  to  the  contrary, 
that  she  was  indeed  lost  in  the  flames. 

Meantime  the  kind  woman  who  had  first 
noticed  the  desolate  child,  held  him  close  in  her 
arms,  and  tried  to  still  his  piteous  sobbings,  that, 
though  not  loud  or  shrill,  shook  his  little  frame 
with  their  deep  smothered  force. 

"Lenny,"  she  said  soothingly,  "Lenny  dear, 
listen  to  me.  I  have  a  little  boy  at  home  that 
will  be  glad  to  play  with  you,  and  you  shall  sleep 
in  his  little  bed  with  him,  and  have  breakfast  in 
his  high  chair." 

"  No  !  no  !  no  !"  sobbed  the  child  passionately  ; 
"  I  want  mamma — I  don't  want  to  play  !" 

"How  was  the  child  saved?"  asked  a  gentle- 
man who  stood,  with  a  large  cloak  wrapped  round 
him,  in  the  centre  of  the  warehouse.  He  was  a 
fine  martial-looking  man,  with  a  great  moustache 
and  sunbrowned  complexion,  and  seemed  much 
more  like  a  soldier  than  a  merchant.     His  name 


LENNY  JS  MADE  AN  ORPHAN.  13 

was  Brenthurst,  and  he  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
large  commission  house  where  the  frightned  crea 
tures  had  taken  refuge  at  his  invitation.  One  of 
the  firemen,  who  had  sprained  his  ankle  jumping 
from  a  ladder,  and  now  sat  bandaging  it  on  the 
floor,  answered  him  in  a  low  tone,  evidently  anx- 
ious to  keep  the  little  boy  from  hearing  his  words. 
"  I  saw  the  woman  at  the  back  window ;  she 
was  waving  her  hands,  but  I  couldn't  hear  her 
voice.  I  tried  to  get  to  her,  but  the  fire  was  so 
hot  on  that  side  we  couldn't  climb.  We  made 
signs  to  her  to  come  to  the  front,  and  she  seemed  to 
understand  us,  for  in  a  minute  she  was  at  the  only 
window  left  on  the  river  side,  holding  the  little 
fellow  in  her  arms.  I  tried  to  get  up  the  ladder, 
but  lost  my  foot-hold  and  came  down  in  a  heap. 
I  saw  Jim  Morris  and  another  fellow  there,  and 
called  to  him  to  make  haste  up  and  save  the 
poor  souls,  when  I  came  to  myself,  for  I  was 
stunned  with  the  knock  on  the  bricks.  I  saw  this 
little  chap  in  his  night-gown  and  bare  feet,  so  I 


14       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

picked  him  up  and  hobbled  in  here  with  him,  not 
knowing  where  his  mother  was.'' 

Mr.  Brenthurst  hurried  out  on  hearing  this, 
and  the  woman  who  had  taken  the  boy  still  kept 
hushing  him  in  her  arms  and  waiting  for  the  se- 
quel, for  she  felt  sure  the  merchant  had  gone  to 
find  Jim  Morris,  and  hear  from  him  what  really 
was  the  poor  woman's  fate.  In  a  few  moments 
he  returned,  saying  sadly  and  solemnly  : — 

"It  is  too  true,  young  man ;  the  flooring  gave 
way  as  your  friend  caught  the  child,  and  the  poor 
woman  fell  through  just  as  their  hands  were 
stretched  out  to  save  her,  and  lies  buried  in  the 
burning  ruins." 

It  might  have  been  the  tone  so  full  of  sorrow 
and  regret,  or  it  might  have  been  their  troubled 
faces,  but  the  bereaved  child  seemed  to  realize 
what  had  happened  as  well  as  they  who  spoke  of 
it  in  undertones — for  he  cried  out — 

"  Mamma  !  mamma  !  I  want  my  mamma!"  in 
such  heartrending  entreaty  that  no  one  had  the 


LENNY  IS  MADE  AN  ORPHAN  15 

courage  to  answer  him,  or  tell  him  he  was  moth- 
erless. 

"  I  suppose  there  will  be  an  inquiry,  and  his 
relatives  will  make  themselves  known,"  said  the 
woman  who  held  him  in  her  arms,  "  till  then  I'll 
take  him  home  with  me.  I  have  a  boy  of  my 
own,  who  may  be  able  to  comfort  him  better  than 
an  older  person  could  do." 

Mr.  Brenthurst  knew  her  very  well ;  she  was 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Burns,  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel 
at  the  corner,  known  as  the  "  Franklin  Ex- 
change ;"  he  considered  that  this  was  the  best  dis- 
position that  could  be  made  of  the  child  under 
the  circumstances,  and  said  so,  adding  that  he 
himself  should  do  all  he  could  to  recover  the  body 
and  trace  the  connections  of  the  poor  woman. 

Mrs.  Burns  carried  the  little  fellow,  now  quite 
exhausted  with  weeping,  to  her  own  home,  and 
Mr.  Brenthurst  busied  himself  providing  for  the 
immediate  necessities  of  those  who  had  taken 
shelter  with  him.     He  was  a  warm-hearted  gen- 


16        ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

crous  tempered  man,  and  from  his  sympathy 
with  suffering,  readily  learned  the  best  methods 
of  relieving  it.  He  had  accustomed  himself  to 
the  needs  of  poverty,  and  studied  the  ways  of 
benevolence,  for  he  was  in  all  things  a  follower 
of  the  Saviour,  whose  name  he  professed  before 
men. 


CHAPTER    SECONi). 

LENNY  FINDS  FRIENDS. 

HE   little  girl    and   her   aunt,  who  were 
(sjl^j)     fellow-passengers      and      fellow-lodgers 


with  Lenny  and  his  mother,  gave  the 
only  clue  to  the  sorrowful  story  of  the 
poor  woman  that  could  be  obtained  by  those  who 
endeavored  to  discover  all  they  could  concerning 
them. 

They  were  seated  in  the  cars  ready  to  start, 
when  Mrs.  Garland  and  her  niece  Jenny  came 
in,  and  took  their  places  near  them.  The  little 
boy  had  been  so  playful  and  interesting,  that 
a  sort  of  acquaintance  sprang  up  between  the 
children  at  once ;  and  his  mother,  who  seemed 
to  be  a  timid  shy  person,  suffering  from  the  effect 
2  (17) 


18       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

of  a  recent  injury  received  from  a  fall,  as  she 
explained  to  Mrs.  Garland,  watched  his  frolics 
with  a  sad  smile,  and  seemed  to  have  had  a  sor- 
rowful life,  from  the  expression  of  her  face  and 
manner.  She  had  talked  to  them  of  Lenny  and 
his  childish  ways ;  but  never  mentioned  herself, 
nor  in  any  way  alluded  to  the  object  of  her 
journey,  nor  where  she  came  from. 

As  the  cars  drew  near  the  place  of  their  desti- 
nation, they  had  noticed  that  the  natural  timidity 
and  nervousness  of  her  manner  increased  greatly, 
and  she  seemed  feverish  with  excitement  and 
trouble.  She  held  Lenny  tightly  by  the  hand, 
and  bit  her  lips  tremblingly,  while  she  seemed 
to  summon  all  her  fortitude  for  a  great  eifort. 

Evidently  she  expected  to  see  some  one  wait- 
ing to  receive  her ;  for,  when  she  stood  on  the 
platform,  and  found  herself  entirely  alone — every 
one  else  having  hurried  away  to  their  different 
places — she  looked  around  her  with  a  bewildered 
gaze,  and  seemed  utterly  unable  to  collect  her 


LENNY  FINDS  FRIENDS.  19 

energies.  Then  Mrs.  Garland  and  Jenny  drew 
near,  and  offered  to  take  her  with  them  for  the 
night  to  the  house  where  they  were  to  stay  them- 
selves. Lenny's  mother  thankfully  caught  at 
the  suggestion,  saying  that  it  would  be  easier  to 
find  her  way  in  daylight,  and  that  she  needed 
rest  very  much. 

Jenny  asked  her  if  she  had  looked  for  a  friend 
to  meet  her,  and  she  answered,  confusedly : — 

"Yes — no — that  is — I  don't  exactly  know." 

They  had  taken  tea  together,  and  Mrs.  Gar- 
land was  further  impressed  with  the  idea  of  there 
being  some  great  trouble  weighing  on  the  poor 
woman's  mind,  from  the  fact  that  she  could 
swallow  no  food,  and  had  to  make  a  great  effort 
to  drink  a  cup  of  tea. 

Then  they  went  to  bed,  and  were  awakened 
from  sleep  by  the  terrible  fire  that  had  done  such 
disastrous  work  in  so  short  a  time ;  and  that  was 
all  any  one  knew,  or  seemed  likely  to  know,  of 
poor  Lenny. 


20       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Among  the  ruins,  two  charred  and  unrecog- 
nisable bodies  were  found,  and  then  it  was  dis- 
covered that  a  poor  servant  woman  had  perished 
also  ;  she  had  slept  in  the  wooden  part  of  the 
building,  and  it  was  most  probably  in  her  room 
the  fire  originated,  as  she  was  in  the  habit  of 
carrying  an  unprotected  candle  in  her  hand,  and 
setting  it  on  a  table  near  the  curtains  of  the  win- 
dow. The  supposition  was  that  she  had  fallen 
asleep,  and  the  draught  had  waved  the  curtain 
towards  the  light  till  it  had  caught  in  the  flame. 
The  only  way  by  which  the  bodies  could  be  dis- 
tinguished was  by  a  metal  band  the  servant  wore 
on  her  wrist  for  rheumatism,  the  remains  of 
which  were  found  on  it  still. 

Mr.  Brenthurst  had  the  mother  decently  bu- 
ried, and  gathered  all  the  particulars  that  could 
be  known,  until  her  relatives  should  appear. 
Meantime  Lenny  remained  at  the  hotel. 

Mrs.  Burns' s  life  was  a  very  busy  one,  for  her 
duties  as  landlady  of  a  large  hotel  occupied  her 


LENNY  FINDS  FRXENDS.  21 

almost  to  the  exclusion  of  her  own  family  cares ; 
therefore,  though  very  kindly  treated,  Lenny 
was  not  much  the  better  for  her  presence,  and 
her  bright,  merry,  rosy  little  son  Tom  was  too 
full  of  fun  and  mischief  to  suit  the  timid,  shrink- 
ing little  orphan,  whose  terrible  experience 
seemed  to  hang  about  him  like  a  dreary  cloud, 
and  overshadow  him  with  a  sorrow  he  could  not 
realize,  a  loss  he  could  not  understand. 

Mrs.  Garland  was  a  poor  woman,  coming,  with 
her  little  niece,  to  take  a  situation  as  housekeeper 
to  a  wealthy  old  gentleman  residing  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  city.  She  and  Jenny  were  step- 
ping a  few  days  in  town  to  buy  some  necessary 
things,  and  having  conceived  a  great  liking  for 
the  poor  orphan  boy,  went  every  day  to  the 
Franklin  Exchange  to  see  him,  and  find  out  if 
any  reply  had  been  received  to  the  advertisement 
Mr.  Brenthurst  caused  to  be  published  concern- 
ing him. 

No  answer  came,  and  a  week  went  by      Mrs. 


22       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Burns,  kind  woman,  was  glad  to  have  the  boy 
under  her  care,  and  know  that  his  wants  were 
satisfied ;  but  it  was  evident  that  such  a  business 
woman  could  not  wish  to  increase  her  domestic 
care  by  taking  charge  of  a  young  boy  nearly  the 
age  of  her  own,  although  she  shrunk  from  send- 
ing the  child  to  the  Foster  Home,  to  take  his 
chances  with  other  little  fellows  as  desolate  as 
himself. 

While  she  was  considering  this  point,  with  a 
good  deal  of  disquiet  and  uneasiness  of  mind, 
Mr.  Brenthurst  came  in  one  afternoon,  with  a 
pale,  delicate-looking  lady  leaning  on  his  arm, 
and  begged  to  see  little  Lenny. 

Mrs.  Burns  went  into  the  family-room,  where 
her  own  children  were  playing,  and,  brushing 
the  short  curls  that  clustered  in  thick  rings 
around  Lenny's  head,  wiped  his  face  and  changed 
his  apron,  having  a  presentiment  that  a  good 
deal  depended  on  the  impression  he  was  about  to 
make.     When  she  returned,  Mr.  Brenthurst  pre- 


LENNY  FINDS  FRIENDS.  23 

sented  her  to  the  lady  accompanying  him  as  his 
sister,  and  said  Lenny's  appearance  did  her  kind 
care  much  credit. 

"He  is  a  dear  little  fellow,  is  he  not?"  he 
asked,  anxiously,  of  his  sister,  watching  her  face 
with  no  less  interest  than  did  Mrs.  Burns. 

Miss  Brenthurst  spoke  in  a  very  sweet  voice, 
and  with  much  natural  kindness  of  manner ;  but 
she  was  evidently  less  decided  and  determined 
than  he,  and  not  quite  so  easily  won  by  appear- 
ances. 

"  He  looks  like  a  dear  child,"  she  said,  gently. 
"  What  is  your  name,  dear  ?" 

"Lenny,"  responded  the  child,  briefly;  but  he 
came  near  and  placed  his  hand  on  her  druss, 
examining  its  rich  trimming  with  an  easy  confi- 
dence that  appeared  odd  in  comparison  with  his 
usually  timid  manner. 

The  lady  looked  down  on  his  little  upturned 
face,  and  smiled  encouragingly. 


24       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"Should  you  like  to  live  with  me,  Lenny?" 
dhe  asked. 

Lenny  did  not  quite  understand  what  was 
meant  by  "living  with"  any  one. 

"Are  you  coming  here?"  he  asked,  looking 
round  the  room  and  trying  to  see  what  part  of 
it  would  be  likely  to  be  chosen  by  his  new 
friend. 

"  0,  no,  my  little  fellow,  I  mean  in  my  own 
house,  where  I  live  at  home." 

"  Is  mamma  there  ?"  asked  Lenny,  with  sud- 
den earnestness — "mamma  and  little  Perry?" 

"There!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Burns,  in  an  under 
tone,  "  that's  the  first  name  he  has  mentioned 
since  he  came  here.  Who  is  Perry — is  that  your 
little  brother  ?" 

Lenny  laughed  outright  at  this,  and  repeated, 
"  Little  Perry,  dear  little  Perry !"  and  began 
looking  all  around  the  room,  as  if  he  expected  to 
see  whoever  it  might  be. 

"It  is  a  child  he  is  thinking  about,"  said  Mr. 


LENNY  FINDS  FRIENDS.  25 

Brenthurst,  who  was  closely  observant  of  his 
movements.  "  See,  it  is  low  down  towards  the 
carpet  he  looks.  Helen,"  he  continued,  turning 
to  his-sister,  "  this  boy's  memory  has  received  a 
shock,  and  that  is  why  he  recalls  everything  so 
imperfectly,  and  seems  to  find  a  blank  after  each 
eifort.  By-and-by,  when  the  effect  wears  off,  he 
will  be  calmer,  and  his  mind  will  strengthen ; 
then  he  will  be  able  to  tell  us  all  about  his  home 
and  his  mother,  and,  through  that  means,  his 
family  name  and  friends  may  be  discovered." 

His  sister  shook  her  head  doubtfully. 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  wise  to  take  the 
child,  and  become  attached  to  it,  just  in  time  to 
give  it  up  to  its  rightful  claimant  ?" 

"You  know  we  considered  all  that,"  answered 
Mr.  Brenthurst,  persuasively.  "  The  only  point 
to  settle  was  whether  you  could  learn  to  like  him 
— whether  the  charge  would  not  be  too  great  for 

you." 

"Yes — "  assented  the  lady,  still  hesitating; 


26       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"  the  boy  is  a  nice  boy,  I  know,  and  I  think  1 
could  manage  him  too ;  but  I  really  feel  as  if  it 
'  would  be  well  to  make  a  few  more  inquiries 
before  engaging  to  take  charge  of  him,  and 
becoming  as  interested  in  his  favor  as  I  am  sure 
to,  when  I  once  have  him  under  my  care." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  her  brother;  "but  Mrs. 
Burns  has  been  untiring  in  her  search,  and  we 
have  advertised,  and  done  all  we  could,  without 
making  the  least  discovery  beyond  what  Mrs. 
Garland  had  to  tell." 

While  this  conversation  went  on,  Lenny,  rest- 
ing his  arm  on  Miss  Brenthurst's  lap,  looked  up 
from  one  face  to  the  other,  as  if  conscious  that 
some  question  nearly  affecting  his  own  interests 
was  being  discussed. 

"Noav,  then,"  said  Mr.  Brenthurst,  "what  is 
your  decision,  Helen — shall  we  take  the  boy?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Brenthurst,  slowly,  and  still 
hesitating  ;  "  that  is — I  think  we  may  try — per- 
haps it  may  turn  out  well — I  really  trust  it  may." 


LENNY  FINDS  FRIENDS.  27 

Her  brother,  who  evidently  had  little  sympa- 
thy with  her  slowness  of  conclusion,  started  up 
at  the  first  reluctant  word  of  assent,  saying : — 

"  Well,  then,  that's  settled.  Mrs.  Burns,  we 
take  the  boy  till  his  rightful  guardians  present 
themselves.  God  grant  we  may  be  able  to  do 
our  duty  properly  by  him,  and  that  he  may  prove 
as  true  a  comfort  and  pleasure  to  us  as  he  seems 
to  promise  now." 

He  lifted  the  child  in  his  arms,  and  gave  him 
a  kind,  fatherly  embrace,  and  then  placed  him 
on  his  sister's  knee,  who,  after  an  instant's  un- 
certainty, put  her  arm  round  him  and  kissed 
him. 

"  Well,  I'm  thankful,"  said  Mrs.  Burns,  "  truly 
thankful  to  see  the  child  in  such  good  hands.  I 
have  no  time  to  do  my  own  children  justice,  and 
I  have  felt  afraid  of  undertaking  the  care  of 
another,  particularly  such  a  thoughtful,  strange 
child  as  this  one.  Now  I  know  that  there  will 
be  nothing  wanting.     I'm  sure  the  boy  will  get 


28       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

on  properly  with  you,  and  I  say,  thank  God 
for  it!" 

Lenny  settled  the  point  on  his  own  part  by 
putting  up  his  hands  and  softly  feeling  the  lace 
of  his  new  protectoress's  bonnet.  As  she  smiled 
tenderly  on  him,  he  raised  his  face  too,  and  gave 
her  a  loving  kiss,  saying,  coaxingly  : — 

"Bring  little  Perry  to  play  at  your  house." 

"  That  is  his  brother,  depend  upon  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Burns,  in  a  whisper.  "  His  mother  left 
another  child  somewhere,  and  he  misses  him." 

"Poor  boy!"  said  Miss  Brenthurst,  kindly; 
"  poor  little  pet !  if  Perry  can  be  found  he  shall 
be  brought  to  play  with  his  little  brother." 

This  promise  made  Lenny  laugh ;  he  clasped 
both  arms  round  the  neck  of  his  new  friend,  as 
if  she  had  been  an  old  familiar  one,  and  laughed 
gayly,  crying  :— 

a  perry's  coming !  little  Perry's  coming  to 
play!" 


CHAPTER    THIRD. 

LENNY'S  NEW  HOME. 

IR.  BRENTHURST  had  been  an  officer 
in  the  army  for  many  years,  and  only 
retired  from  the  service  when  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  the  necessity  of  set- 
tling his  rather  disarranged  business  affairs,  made 
his  presence  at  home  very  important.  He  was 
the  oldest  of  his  family,  and  for  many  years  the 
only  son.  His  brother,  who  was  meant  to  suc- 
ceed his  father  in  business,  died  on  reaching  man- 
hood, and  his  two  sisters  were  left  entirely 
unprotected  by  their  father's  death. 

Helen,  the  elder,  was  quiet,  grave,  and  pru- 
dent. Leonore,  the  younger — and  a  very  beauti- 
ful, talented  girl — was  rash  and  impetuous  in 

(29) 


30       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

character,  and,  having  never  known  a  mother's 
care,  had  become,  unfortunately,  rather  spoilt 
by  her  father's  indulgence  and  the  unwise  admi- 
ration of  partial  friends.  She  had  given  the 
family  cause  for  sorrow  in  her  hasty  and  disas- 
trous choice  of  a  husband ;  for  she  had  made  a 
secret  marriage  with  a  very  handsome  and  very 
worthless  young  man,  whom  she  met  accidentally 
at  a  watering-place.  He  was  poor  and  reckless, 
and  repaid  the  elder  Mr.  Brenthurst's  kindness 
by  forging  a  draft  in  his  name,  and  bringing 
trouble  and  disgrace  on  the  household. 

This  unhappy  affair  occurred  just  before  the 
death  of  their  father,  and  was  thought  by  the 
family  to  have  hastened  that  sad  event.  Poor 
Leonore,  conscious  too  late  of  her  folly,  fled  with 
her  erring  husband  when  his  crime  was  disco- 
vered ;  they  had  managed  their  flight  so  secretly 
to  avoid  being  pursued,  that  no  trace  of  them 
could  be  found,  although  Leonore's  brother,  full 
of  pi  ty  for  his  unfortunate  sister,  left  no  clue  un- 


LENNY'S  NEW  HOME.  '    31 

sought  to  gain  some  knowledge  of  their  place  of 
concealment. 

Three W  four  years  previous  to  the  date  of  the 
fire,  the  anxiety  and  ceaseless  endeavors  of  the 
brother  and  sister  were  set  at  rest,  by  the  sorrow- 
ful tidings  of  Leon  ore's  death  in  foreign  lands. 
A  gentleman  had  seen  her  husband  and  recog- 
nised him,  although  he  made  every  effort  to  con- 
ceal his  name  and  past  history.  Finding  at  last 
that  it  was  useless  to  deny  his  real  name,  he 
confessed  that  he  was  the  George  Merton  who 
had  married  Leonore  Brenthurst,  and  afterwards 
got  into  trouble  with  her  father.  His  wife,  he 
said,  was  lately  dead,  and  he  hoped  her  family 
would  now  cease  to  persecute  them  from  place 
to  place  with  their  inquiries  as  they  had  been 
doing. 

He  had  promised  to  see  the  gentleman  again, 
and  give  him  further  particulars  concerning  the 
loss  of  his  wife ;  but  once  having  got  away,  he 
kept  away,  and  George  Merton  had  never  been 


32       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Been  again  by  any  of  his  former  acquaint- 
ances. 

Mr.  Brenthurst,  finding  his  father's  affairs  left 
in  an  unsettled  state,  and  seeing  that  much  loss 
would  be  occasioned  by  suddenly  closing  the  busi- 
ness, felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  leave  the  service  and 
assume  the  responsibility  of  the  firm.  And  thus 
it  happened  that  he  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
large  warehouse  where  the  poor  frightened  people 
from  the  burnt  lodging-house  found  refuge,  for 
he  had  hurried  from  his  bed  at  night  on  learning 
the  quarter  in  which  the  fire  was,  and  hastened 
down  to  open  his  place  and  heart  and  purse  in 
their  behalf. 

His  nature  was  warm,  generous,  and  trusting ; 
he  had  a  horror  of  deceit,  yet  never  suspected  its 
existence,  and  was  slow  to  believe  in  it  even 
when  he  could  find  no  excuse  for  doubt.  He  had 
given  his  heart  to  God  on  a  sick-bed  when  he 
thought  himself  done  with  the  things  of  this  world 
for  ever,  but  recovering,  still  retained  his  reli- 


LENNY'S  NEW  HOME.  33 

gious  fervor,  and  began  a  new  life  dedicated  to  all 
good  things. 

Little  Lenny  was  not  old  enough  to  appreciate 
fully  the  home  into  which  he  had  so  providen- 
tially fallen.  He  looked  with  pleased  wonder 
around  the  beautiful  rooms,  and  examined  the 
toys  Miss  Brenthurst  presented  to  him,  with 
grave  curiosity,  for  he  was  entirely  unused  to 
playing  as  other  children  did. 

"  Shall  you  like  to  live  here,  Lenny  ?"  asked 
she,  "  and  will  you  be  our  dear  little  boy,  and 
love  us  and  try  to  be  good?" 

There  appeared  to  be  a  great  deal  involved  in 
so  many  propositions,  and  Lenny  paused  thought- 
fully before  replying.  At  last  he  seemed  to  feel 
some  personal  slight  was  conveyed  in  the  last 
words,  for  his  lips  quivered  and  his  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 

"  I  am  good,"  he  sobbed  at  last ;  and  added  re- 
proachfully, "  You  said  you  would  bring  little 
Perry." 


34       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Miss  Brenthurst  sighed. 

"  Yes,  it  certainly  is  his  little  brother,"  she 
thought  to  herself ;  "  and  I  am  sure  the  family 
will  soon  search  him  out  and  take  him  away.  I 
really  must  try  not  to  love  him  too  much,  but 
simply  do  my  duty  by  him,  for  we  will  surely 
have  to  part  as  soon  as  they  find  him  out." 

But  like  many  other  people,  Miss  Brenthurst 
came  to  a  conclusion  to  do  one  thing  and  did 
exactly  the  opposite. 

Lenny  had  taken  an  odd  fancy  for  her,  and  at 
times  caressed  her  with  so  much  affection  and 
seemed  so  thoroughly  at  home  in  her  society,  that 
it  seemed  rather  the  renewal  of  an  old  feeling 
than  the  beginning  of  a  new  one. 

She  found  him  to  be,  as  her  brother  had  said, 
quite  stunned  at  first  from  the  effect  of  that  terr 
rible  fire,  but  by-and-by,  as  he  grew  familiar  with 
the  scenes  around  him,  he  showed  a  bright  intel- 
ligent nature,  and  proved  artless  and  affectionate 
in  all  his  ways. 


LENNY'S  NEW  HOME.  35 

Of  his  home  in  the  past  he  gave  strange  and 
sometimes  contradictory  accounts.  At  one  time 
he  said  he  lived  in  a  ship  ;  at  another  he  told 
about  a  beautiful  garden,  but  he  named  no  other 
persons  than  "  mamma  and  little  Perry  ;"  and  by- 
and-by,  began  to  forget  to  say  "  Miss  Brenthurst," 
and  called  that  lady  "mamma"  instead. 

"  I  am  not  your  mamma,"  she  said,  tenderly  ; 
"  she  is  gone  away ;  but  when  you  grow  to  be  a 
man  and  learn  to  be  good  and  love  God,  He 
will  let  you  go  and  see  her.  You  must  call  me 
auntie." 

"No,  no!"  he  protested;  "I  call  you  mam- 
ma;" and  he  seemed  so  much  in  earnest  about 
it,  that  she  told  her  brother  she  really  believed 
he  had  found  some  resemblance  in  dress  or  man- 
ner that  deceived  him,  and  that  in  some  way  he 
associated  her  with  his  dead  mother. 

She  was  a  delicate  person,  and  hitherto  having 
very  little  to  interest  or  occupy  her  attention, 
she  had  been  in  the  habit  of  nursing  herself,  and 


36       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

fancying  that  she  was  much  more  of  an  invalid 
than  she  now  found  herself  to  be.  The  pleasure 
of  the  child's  presence,  his  innocent  merriment 
and  playful  frolics,  so  interested  her,  that  every 
hour  had  its  new  and  pleasant  employment ;  and 
after  he  was  tucked  away  in  his  little  crib  com- 
fortably asleep,  she  would  sit  up  and  tell  her 
brother  all  his  pretty  sayings  and  doings,  so  that 
the  evening,  too,  had  its  share  of  Lenny. 

As  weeks  and  months  went  by  without  any 
sign  of  his  relatives  appearing  to  identify  and 
claim  him,  they  began  to  regard  the  boy  as  their 
own,  and  lay  out  plans  for  his  education  and 
moral  training. 

Mr.  Brenthurst's  great  affection  for  his  sister 
made  him  look  up  to  her  with  deference,  and 
listen  to  her  opinions  with  respect  and  attention ; 
but  in  reality  she  was  merely  a  timid  copy  of 
himself;  less  ardent  and  brave  in  temperament, 
but  like  him  affectionate,  benevolent,  and  very 
kind-hearted.     She  began  to  gather  courage  in 


LENNY'S  NEW  HOME.  37 

her  love  for  Lenny,  and  the  child's  warm  re- 
sponse to  all  her  affection  made  her  feel  that  she 
had  a  natural  right  to  him,  which  he  acknow- 
ledged, though  she  could  not  tell  on  what  it  was 
founded. 

Everything  she  taught  him  seemed  to  be 
learned  so  readily,  that  she  made  up  her  mind  he 
must  have  heard  it  all  before,  and  was  only  re- 
calling it  now  by  an  effort  of  memory. 

One  day  she  began  to  teach  him  about  God, 
and  the  dear  Saviour,  who  loves  little  children. 
He  followed  all  she  said  with  eager  eyes,  and 
agreed  to  everything  she  explained  with  the 
words,  "  I  know — yes,  yes,  I  know." 

"  Who  told  you,  Lenny,  dear  ?" 

"You  told  me,  that  other  time — don't  you 
know?"  he  asked,  wistfully  looking  in  her  face 
as  if  her  words  suggested  a  doubt  that  troubled 
him. 

"I  told  you?"  she  repeated;  "when  did  I 
tell  you,  Lenny  ?" 


38       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"  0,  one  day — don't  you  know  ?"  he  answered ; 
and  looked  worried  by  the  effort  he  made  tc 
recall  the  time,  yet  could  not  succeed  in  it. 

"  My  darling,  I  never  told  you,  because  I  did 
not  know  whether  you  were  old  enough  to  under- 
stand me,  or  that  I  should  be  able  to  make  it  plain 
to  you.  It  must  have  been  your  own  dear  mother 
who  taught  you,  baby  that  you  are,  to  turn  to  the 
Father  of  the  fatherless,  the  orphan's  Friend. 
0,  Lenny !  you  must  not  forget  that  dear  mam- 
ma, who  tried  to  lead  you  to  the  Saviour's  love 
before  she  left  you  alone  in  this  great  world." 

:' I  love  mamma,"  responded  Lenny;  "and  I 
love  you,  too." 

"  You  must  love  everybody,  because  God  tells 
us  it  is  right  to  do  so ;  every  other  little  boy  and 
girl  who  loves  God  can  call  Him  their  Father, 
and  so  can  every  grown  person,  and  that  makes 
us  all  brothers  and  sisters  in  His  love.  Yes,  my 
boy,  we  are  to  love  each  other  as  if  we  all  be- 
longed to  one  gieat  family." 


LENNY'S  NEW  HOME.  39 

"  I  love  mamma,  and  you,  and  little  Perry," 
repeated  Lenny,  gravely ;  "  and  I  love  uncle, 
and  everybody  in  the  world." 

"  That  is  well — now  you  must  prove  that  love 
by  kindness ;  and  I  am  sure  that  will  be  an  easy 
thing,  for  you  are  naturally  generous  and  good- 
tempered." 

These  qualities,  together  with  a  natural  obser- 
vation and  aptitude,  made  learning  an  easy  task 
to  the  boy,  and  his  progress  so  pleased  his  kind 
friends,  that  his  life  was  almost  without  a  shadow 
jn  its  sunny  hours. 


CHAPTER    FOURTH. 

LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY. 

m  the  wisdom  and  providence  of  God  it  has 
been  appointed  that  no  life,  however  bright, 
shall  pass  without  its  shadows,  and  that 
even  the  young  and  innocent  shall  be  dis- 
ciplined by  the  experience  of  sorrow  and  dis- 
appointment. Little  Lenny  had  become  per- 
fectly happy  and  contented ;  the  dark  cloud  of 
terror  that  had  gathered  about  him  on  the  night 
of  his  mother's  death,  was  gradually  dispelled  by 
the  warmth  of  affection  and  care,  and  his  troubled 
little  mind  came  back  clearly,  its  young  powers 
refreshed  by  the  nurture  of  love.  It  took  him  a 
very  little  while  to  adapt  himself  to  his  happy 
circumstances,  and  bask  in  the  cheerful  light  of 

(40) 


v     LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  41 

his  good  fortune.  "Auntie  and  Uncle,"  as  lie 
had  learned  to  call  his  kind  friends,  were  all  the 
world  to  him ;  the  recollection  of  his  mother 
seemed  to  blend  itself  in  his  growing  love  for 
Miss  Brenthurst,  and  even  "little  Perry"  ap- 
peared forgotten  in  the  enjoyment  of  playthings 
and  picture-books.  The  cheerful  nursery,  which 
seemed  a  delightful  world  to  him,  was  completely 
filled  with  evidences  of  the  increasing  interest  he 
awakened  in  good  Mr.  Brenthurst  and  his  sister. 
The  walks  were  hung  with  pictures,  whose 
stories  he  liked  to  hear ;  his  rocking-horse  with 
an  arched  neck  and  flowing  mane  stood  in  one 
corner,  and  quite  a  little  museum  of  carts  and 
carriages,  barrows  and  wagons,  soldiers  and 
Noah's  Arks,  filled  the  centre  of  the  floor. 

It  was  really  pleasant  to  watch  the  new  and 
cheerful  life,  so  small  a  member  of  the  household 
was  able  to  diffuse  through  its  saddened  limits ; 
for  their  father's  death,  and  the  subsequent  loss 
of  their  sister,  had   clouded   the  pleasures  and 


42       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

obscured  the  hopeful  interests  of  the  brother  and 
sister  for  the  past  few  years. 

But  the  shadow  that  was  to  check  the  perfect 
delight  of  this  existence  for  little  Lenny  crept 
into  his  sunshine  in  a  strange  form,  and,  quite 
inexplicably  to  Miss  Brenthurst,  proved  to  be  a 
young  gentleman  connected  with  the  family,  a 
distant  cousin,  it  was  supposed,  but  a  confidential 
assistant  in  the  warehouse.  His  name  was 
Clement  Blye;  and  the  reason  Lenny  had.  not 
seen  him  before,  was,  that  he  had  been  absent  in 
the  West  on  a  business  tour.  He  did  not  live 
with  his  cousins  the  Brenthursts,  for,  although 
Mr.  Brenthurst  valued  him  highly  in  his  place, 
and  often  said  he  could  not  repay  such  important 
services  as  his  with  a  salary,  and  so  intended 
giving  him  a  partnership  in  the  concern  in  good 
time — yet  there  was  something  about  him  per- 
sonally that  neither  brother  nor  sister  could  love, 
and  his  visits,  though  frequent,  were  not  social 
or  pleasant.     The  first  day  he   came   to  dinner 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  43 

after  Lenny's  becoming  one  of  the  family,  he 
seemed  odder  and  less  at  ease  with  his  friends 
than  ever,  and  yet  he  made  every  effort  to  appear 
agreeable  and  well  pleased  at  the  addition  to  the 
little  circle. 

"  I  must  see  this  little  fellow,  Cousin  Helen," 
he  said ;  "  what  is  it  you  call  him — Lennox  ?" 

"  He  called  himself  Lenny,  but  now  that  you 
mention  it,  I  dare  say  Lennox  may  have  been 
the  name.  I  wish  I  knew,  for  I  do  not  want  to 
change  it  when  he  grows  up." 

Mr.  Clement  Blye  had  heavy  eyebrows  that 
came  rather  close  together  for  beauty.  He  had 
small  black  eyes  that  were  very  sharp  and  rest- 
less. Sometimes  he  would  gather  these  heavy 
brows  so  thoughtfully  that  they  quite  met  over 
his  nose,  and  then  the  sharp  little  eyes  would  be 
hidden  all  but  a  disagreeable  twinkle.  When 
Miss  Brenthurst  looked  up  pleasantly  after 
speaking,  that  was  all  she  saw,*  and  the  impres- 
sion was  so  very  painful  that  she  could  not  dispeJ 


44       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

it,  although  he  detected  the  mistake  he  had  made 
in  allowing  her  to  see  his  feelings,  and  fell  to 
smiling  blandly,  and  chatting  with  great  apparent 
cheerfulness. 

"Here  is  Lenny,  fresh  from  his  nap,"  said 
Miss  Brenthurst,  at  last.  She  had  been  so  dis- 
composed by  the  strange  look  she  had  caught, 
that  she  had  not  been  able  to  reply  unrestrainedly 
to  his  questions  about  him,  until  the  child's 
appearing  seemed  to  break  the  uncomfortable 
spell. 

"  Come,  Lenny,  come  speak  to  Mr.  Blye ;  this 
gentleman  is  our  cousin,  and  he  wants  to  see 
what  a  dear  little  boy  we  have  got  to  love  us, 
and  be  our  little  pet." 

"  0,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Blye,  smiling  in  a  strange 
uncongenial  way  ;  "  come  and  tell  me  what  your 
name  is,  and  how  old  you  are." 

To  this,  Lenny,  who  stood  still  just  as  soon 
as  he  caught   sight  of  the  visitor's  face,  only 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  45 

responded  by  a  long,  astonished  stare,  but  made 
no  effort  to  move. 

"  Come,  Lenny,"  said  Miss  Brenthurst,  evi- 
dently struck  with  this  proceeding.  "  Come, 
dear — why,  what  is  the  matter — don't  you  know 
it  is  wrong  not  to  obey  auntie  when  she  speaks 
to  you?" 

Lenny  breathed  hard  for  a  moment,  then  look- 
ing from  one  to  the  other  found  his  voice,  and 
asked,  "  Where's  mamma  ?  Where's  little 
Perry?" 

"  Why,  what  in  the  world  does  the  child 
mean  ?"  cried  Mr.  Blye,  in  angry  confusion ; 
"  he  is  all  right  in  the  head,  I  suppose ;  but 
really  this  don't  look  like  it." 

His  voice  betrayed  his  disturbance,  though  he 
kept  on  smiling  with  such  an  affectation  of  amia- 
bility that  there  was  quite  a  contrast  between  it 
and  his  face. 

"  I  don't  know  what  the  connection  in  hn  mind 
between  you  and  his  old  home  can  be,"  sai  J  Miss 


46       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Brenthurst,  gravely ;  "  but  there  certainly  is 
something  that  suggests  it  as  he  looks  at  vou. 
Lenny,  did  you  ever  see  this  gentleman  before?" 
she  asked,  drawing  the  child  to  her  side. 

Lenny  nodded  vigorously,  still  keeping  his 
fascinated  eyes  fixed  on  the  stranger,  and  whis- 
pered apprehensively,  "  I  don't  like  him — send 
him  away." 

Miss  Brenthurst  was  much  annoyed  at  this 
unpleasant  speech,  and,  begging  her  young  cousin 
to  excuse  her,  led  the  child  from  the  room,  ex- 
plaining as  they  went  the  impropriety  of  being 
so  rude  and  outspoken. 

Lenny  was  sorry  for  having  offended,  but  im- 
movable in  his  opinions.  "I  don't  like  him — I 
won't  be  naughty  any  more — please  forgive  me, 
but  send  the  man  away,"  were  the  terms  in  which 
he  repented  of  his  too  great  frankness  ;  and  Miss 
Brenthurst,  leaving  him  with  the  girl  who  took 
charge  of  the  nursery,  was  obliged  to  defer  fur- 
ther reasoning  or  admonition  for  the  present. 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY. .  47 

She  found  Clement  in  high  good-humor,  laugh' 
mg  merrily  at  the  unfortunate  impression  he  had 
made.  In  trying  to  be  pleasant  and  agreeable 
he  was  apt  to  overdo  the  effort,  and  on  this  occa- 
sion he  had  fallen  into  that  error  too. 

He  said  he  must  have  a  very  common  face, 
that  had  been  taken  for  other  people  thousands 
of  times,  so  that  he  began  to  believe  he  had  no 
identity  of  his  own.  He  declared  "  that  it  was 
exceedingly  amusing,  and  that  he  was  quite 
willing  to  have  a  general  likeness  when  it  led 
to  such  funny  scenes.  Lenny  was  a  fine  little 
fellow,  and  scarcely  looked  as  if  he  belonged  to 
the  lower  classes ;  if  he  had  not  had  an  exten- 
sive experience  of  that  sort  of  people  in  travel- 
ling about  as  he  did,  he  should  have  called 
the  child  aristocratic-looking ;  but,  ■  to  a  prac- 
tised eye,  there  were  unmistakable  points  that 
betrayed  base  blood."  Then,  with  another  covert 
glance  from  under  his  eyebrows,  he  disco- 
vered that  his  words  were  making   an  uncom- 


48       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Portable  impression — as  he  hoped  they  would — ■ 
on  his  cousin's  mind;  so  he  laughed,  and  said 
it  was  really  very  funny  and  that  he  enjoyed  it 
greatly. 

He  no  doubt  enjoyed  the  pain  he  saw  his  cun- 
ning words  gave,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  same  pleasure  in  Lenny's  presence.  While 
the  child  had  been  in  the  room  he  had  changed 
color  several  times,  and  been  restless  and  nervous 
in  manner. 

Miss  Brenthurst  was  neither  suspicious  nor 
penetrating ;  but  she  could  see  that  there  was 
some  feeling  at  work  under  the  assumed  gayety 
of  her  young  relation,  and  the  only  conclusion 
she  could  arrive  at  concerning  its  origin  was  that 
Cousin  Clement  was  perhaps  a  little  jealous  of 
their  regard  for  a  stranger,  or  it  might  be  that 
he  did  not  like  children,  and  their  presence 
annoyed  him. 

With  all  her  other  amiable  qualities,  Miss 
Brenthurst  was   remarkable  for   a   self-depreci- 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  49 

ating  humility  that  seldom  saw  in  others  the 
faults  whose  effects  disturbed. 

"I  am  afraid  John  and  I  have  not  shown  him 
sufficient  affection,"  she  said  to  herself,  regret- 
fully. "  I  wish  I  had  tried  to  get  used  to  his 
ways  sooner.  John  is  influenced  by  my  foolish 
repugnance,  no  doubt.  0,  dear  !  I  really  wish  I 
could  like  the  young  man." 

So  she  cogitated  as  she  listened  to  Clement's 
conversation  about  his  journey,  which  would  have 
been  very  interesting,  she  thought,  if  she  could 
have  learned  to  like  his  way  of  telling  it ;  but 
there  was  something  so  studied  and  artificial  in 
every  word  and  gesture  of  his,  that  a  pure- 
minded,  trusting  person  like  Miss  Brenthurst 
could  take  but  little  pleasure  in  conversing  with 
him. 

Lenny  did  not  appear  in  the  parlor  again,  and 

after  dinner  Mr.  Blye  went  away,  leaving  his 

Cousin  Helen  quite  worried  about  the  subject  of 

his   conversation,  Avhich  had  been  the  inherited 
4 


50       ADVENTURED  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

wickedness  of  children  of  the  lower  classes.  He 
had  recounted  anecdotes  and  stories  to  prove  the 
truth  of  what  he  said,  and  showed  plainly  through 
the  many  instances  he  cited  that  it  was  a  dan- 
gerous thing  to  take  a  child  of  unknown  parent- 
age into  your  house  and  heart,  for  your  care  and 
tenderness  were  sure  to  act  like  the  heat  of 
the  man's  bosom  in  rousing  the  viper  he  had 
sheltered  from  the  cold.  He  seemed  to  have 
a  calendar  of  criminals  that  had  been  received 
in  childhood  into  the  homes  of  benevolent  per- 
sons, and  repaid  the  charity  they  owed  their 
lives  to  by  robbing  and  murdering  their  bene- 
factors. 

He  discoursed  at  great  length  about  the  beau- 
tiful, trustful  goodness  of  his  cousin's  nature,  and 
made  her  feel  very  much  ashamed  by  praising 
her  for  disinterested  philanthropy,  when  she  had 
been  giving  herself  so  much  pleasure.  She  had 
tried  to  set  him  right,  by  saying : — 

"  No,  Clement ;  you  are  mistaken — really,  it 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  51 

has  been  a  selfish  gratification  to  me  and  my 
brother  John  to  take  this  innocent,  loving  child 
into  our  quiet  home,  and  he  has  brightened  it 
and  us,  I  think ;  but  indeed  we  have  thought  of 
our  own  pleasure  too  much ;  if  anything  unselfish 
appears  in  the  affair,  it  is  all  on  Lenny's  part." 

This  avowal  seemed  to  give  him  less  satisfac- 
tion than  all  that  had  gone  before ;  he  appeared 
to  control  himself  by  a  strong  effort,  and  tried 
to  laugh,  and  say  they  had  lived  so  much  alone 
as  to  become  whimsical. 

He  had  often  hinted  about  the  great  house 
they  lived  in  being  so  empty  and  silent — and 
drawn  contrasts  between  it  and  a  lodging  among 
strangers  that  was  all  he  could  claim ;  but  his 
cousin,  though  blaming  herself  for  it,  had  never 
been  able  to  recover  her  repugnance  to  his  ways 
sufficiently  to  ask  him  to  come  and  live  with  them, 
and  so  she  now  accepted  this  allusion  as  a  de- 
served reproach,   and  endeavored  by  redoubled 


52       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

kindness  to  make  up  for  her  foolish  prejudice, 
as  she  thought  it. 

Mr.  Brenthurst  talked  of  the  business  interests 
of  their  house,  and  praised  Clement's  energy  in 
all  he  did.  In  connection  with  that  department, 
both  brother  and  sister  felt  the  strongest  confi- 
dence in  him,  and  scarcely  any  other  conversa- 
tion ever  passed  between  them  about  Clement 
Blye ;  each  knew  the  other  disliked  his  disposi- 
tion in  private  affairs,  and  so  avoided  the  subject. 

"Did  Clement  see  our  little  boy?"  asked  Mr. 
Brenthurst  of  his  sister,  after  the  young  man  had 
gone. 

"  Yes,  Lenny  was  here  for  a  little  while.  I 
sent  for  him  before  you  came  in — and  do  you 
know,  John,  I  think  Clement  does  not  like  child- 
ren at  all,  and  common  children  particularly." 

"  Common  children  !"  repeated  her  brother,  in 
a  surprised  tone.  "  What  kind  of  children  do 
you  mean  by  those  ?" 

"  It  was  the  expression  he  used,  and  he  meant 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  53 

the  offspring  of  the  poor — little  creatures  who 
never  see  anything  but  poverty  and  privation,, 
who  are  born  into  misery,  and,  according  to  him, 
draw  in  deceit,  meanness,  envy,  and  malice  with 
their  earliest  breath." 

"  I  do  not  think  he  could  have  been  talking  in 
a  very  good  spirit  to  use  such  terms,"  said  her 
brother,  gravely.  "All  poor  people  are  not 
necessarily  deceitful  and  wicked,  and  although  I 
believe  that  poverty  is  often  an  excuse  for  such 
sins,  it  never  should  be  made  a  ground  of  accusa 
tion.  I  have  no  right  to  say  :  '  You  are  a  poor 
person,  and  consequently  you  must  be  a  villa- 
nously  bad  one.'  " 

"  0,  no,  indeed  !  that  would  be  very  unjust — 
and  I  can  recall  many  excellent  poor  men  and 
women  whose  histories  I  know ;  but  while  Clem- 
ent talked  he  made  me  feel  so  uncomfortably  that 
I  could  not  argue  the  case  at  all.  He  tried  to 
convince  me  that  we  were  doing  wrong  in  receiv- 
ing  an  unknown  child  like  Lenny  into  our  affec- 


54       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

tions,  and  that  the  probabilities  were  all  in  favor 
of  his  growing  up  to  give  us  trouble,  or  perhaps 
bring  disgrace  upon  us." 

Mr.  Brenthurst  ran  his  fingers  through  his 
hair,  so  that  it  all  stood  upright,  and  looked 
quite  wild.  This  was  a  way  he  had  of  express- 
ing annoyance  or  displeasure,  and  his  sister  felt 
sorry  that  she  had  repeated  what  Clement  had 
said,  when  she  saw  how  it  affected  him ;  but  she 
had  been  so  desirous  of  gaining  encouragement 
and  advice,  that  she  could  not  help  confiding  her 
perplexities  to  him. 

"Why  should  that  young  man  try  to  make 
himself  and  others  miserable  by  indulging  such  a 
temper  ?"  cried  Mr.  Brenthurst,  getting  up  and 
walking  about  impatiently.  "  Helen,"  he  con- 
tinued, after  a  little  thought,  "  I  am  afraid  we 
are  to  blame  for  it,  in  a  measure.  He  certainly 
is  our  relative,  and  he  has  always  shown  himself 
to  be  devoted  to  our  business  interests ;  in  that 
respect,  at  least,  he  deserves  credit.     His  better 


LENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  55 

feelings  have,  unfortunately,  not  been  cultivated, 
and  lie  is  inclined  to  be  jealous  and  suspicious. 
These  points  of  character  have  made  him  disa- 
greeable to  us  in  our  home,  and  we  have  yielded 
to  our  own  repugnance  to  such  a  nature,  and 
kept  him  at  a  distance,  instead  of  bringing  him 
here  often,  and  trying  to  overcome  evil  with 
good.  In  this  respect  we  have  failed  in  our  duty 
as  Christians,  and  we  had  better  try  to  repair 
our  mistake." 

Miss  Brenthurst  agreed  with  her  brother,  but 
looked  rather  despondently  about  the  task  of  cul- 
tivating tender  and  generous  feelings  in  the  bosom 
of  Clement  Blye. 

"  I  know  it  is  a  duty,"  she  said ;  "  but  it 
seems  a  very  difficult  one." 

They  were  sitting  in  the  large  old-fashioned 
back  parlor,  that  was  part  library  and  part  sit- 
ting-room, and,  after  arriving  at  this  point  in 
their  conversation,  remained   silent,  looking   at 


56       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

the  cheerful  fire  that  glowed  brightly  in  the  wide 
grate. 

A  soft  footstep,  falling  almost  noiselessly  on 
the  rich  carpet,  interrupted  their  thoughts,  and 
little  Lenny,  stealing  close  to  Miss  Brenthurst's 
side,  in  his  white  gown,  murmured  : — 

"  I  came  to  kiss  you  good-night — Bessie  said  I 
might.  Is  the  bad  man  gone  ?  0,  don't  let 
him  come  any  more,  auntie.  I  don't  like  him — 
he  made  mamma  cry." 

"Made  your  mamma  cry!"  repeated  his 
auntie,  looking  at  Mr.  Brenthurst,  to  bespeak 
his  attention  —  "made  your  mamma  cry,  my 
dear  !     Tell  me  all  about  it,  Lenny." 

With  great  eagerness,  the  boy  began  :— 

"  He  came  in,  and  little  Perry  ran  to  bite 
him  ;  then  mamma  cried,  and  put  her  head  down 

this  way "     He  laid  his  head  on  the  arm  of 

Miss  Brenthurst's  chair,  and  suddenly  the  deli- 
cate thread  of  memory  seemed  to  break,  and  he 


PENNY'S  ANTIPATHY.  57 

lost  the  scene  that  a  moment  before  had  appeared 
quite  fresh  in  his  mind.  He  looked  wistfully 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  then  shook  his  head, 
repeating :  "  I  don't  like  that  man — don't  let 
him  come  here  any  more." 

"Is  it  not  very  strange?"  asked  Miss  Brent- 
hurst,  in  a  whisper. 

"Yes,"  returned  her  brother,  appearing  to 
ponder  deeply ;  "  but  we  must  not  give  it  too 
much  importance.  You  remember  he  has  always 
associated  you  with  his  mother,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  his  recollection  is  very  misty  and 
imperfect,  owing  to  the  fright  of  the  fire." 

His  sister  assented  to  this ;  but  still  could  not 
get  over  the  singularity  of  her  little  charge's 
very  decided  repugnance  to  Clement,  since  he 
was  the  first  one  he  had  ever  expressed  the  least 
objection  to  since  he  had  been  in  the  family. 


CHAPTER    FIFTH 

LENNY'S  LESSONS. 


(T^T^O  carry  out  the  resolution  she  had 
formed  the  evening  of  Clement's  visit, 
Miss  Brenthurst  earnestly  endeavored 
to  overcome  the  shrinking  dislike  Lenny 
expressed  for  him,  and  at  the  same  time  tried  to 
convince  herself  that  there  could  be  no  possible 
foundation  for  the  feeling. 

The  brother  and  sister  invited  him  to  be  a  fre- 
quent visitor,  and  meant  to  make  their  home 
pleasant  to  him ;  but,  although  they  were  both 
quite  in  earnest  in  the  effort,  they  succeeded  very 
poorly.  Lenny  still  shrunk  from  Clement,  and 
Miss  Brenthurst,  though  she  stifled  the  voice  of 

(58) 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  59 

her  own  heart,  could  not  learn  to  trust  or  like 
him. 

Clement  himself  seemed  very  much  pleased  by 
the  opportunity  afforded  him,  and  never  failed  to 
come  ;  but  he  still  kept  that  hidden  manner  that 
made  his  Cousin  Helen  uneasy,  and,  although 
smiling  and  attentive  to  her  every  word,  she 
would  frequently  detect  him  with  that  cunning, 
covert  look,  watching  out  from  under  his  eye- 
brows, and  regarding  Lenny  with  a  glance  of  but 
little  favor  or  kindness. 

It  seemed  strange  to  Mr.  and  Miss  Brenthurst, 
when  they  noticed  how  readily  Lenny  learned 
everything,  and  how  quick  he  was  in  understand- 
ing all  he  saw,  that  his  memory  did  not  gain  the 
power  of  going  backward  beyond  the  time  of  his 
journey  to  their  city.  He  always  seemed  glad 
to  see  Jenny  Garland  and  her  mother,  and  talked 
of  the  day  they  rode  together  in  the  cars ;  but 
of  the  place  they  had  been  in  before  that  time  it 
seemed  impossible  to  speak  clearly,  or  connect 


60       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

any  event  with  any  particular  place,  and  give 
other  than  confused  accounts,  like  floating  frag- 
ments of  recollection. 

After  many  fruitless  efforts,  they  determined 
to  abandon  the  subject,  and  never  in  anywise 
allude  to  the  past,  hoping  that  complete  rest 
might  help  to  bring  it  back  more  clearly. 
Neither  of  them  believed  in  cramming  young 
minds  with  study  —  so  there  was  no  regular 
course  of  teaching  laid  out  for  Lenny.  He  was 
so  fond  of  books  that  he  learned  his  letters  with- 
out being  taught,  simply  by  asking  their  names 
and  connecting  them  with  the  pretty  pictures 
that  illustrated  them.  In  the  same  way  he 
taught  himself  to  read  little  words,  and,  once 
having  learned,  he  never  forgot  anything. 

When  spring  came,  and  he  was,  as  they  sup- 
posed, about  six  years  old,  he  could  read  the 
Scripture  stories  accompaning  the  brilliant  pic- 
tures in  his  toy  books,  and  repeat  all  the  little 
verses  his  auntie  had  read  to  him.     There  was  a 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  61 

great  garden  attached  to  the  Brenthurst  mansion, 
and  in  it,  as  soon  as  the  weather  permitted,  his» 
indulgent  uncle  set  Lenny  at  work  with  pretty 
little  gardening  tools,  and  his  delighted  auntie 
gave  him  his  first  lessons  in  digging  and  hoeing. 

An  old  man  called  Simmons,  who  lived  with 
his  wife  in  a  little  house  in  a  back  street  near  by, 
had  charge  of  the  garden,  and  laid  it  out  in 
beautiful  beds  and  borders.  Lenny  soon  became 
very  friendly  with  him,  and  enjoyed  watching  him 
as  he  sowed  seed  or  dug  up  beds,  and  always 
imitated  his  way  of  working,  to  Miss  Brenthurst's 
great  amusement. 

In  a  short  time  Lenny  knew  the  names  of 
plants  almost  as  well  as  Simmons  did,  and  de- 
lighted to  introduce  into  his  own  particular  little 
plot  all  the  bright  colored  flowers,  recommended 
to  him  on  that  account  by  his  friend  the  gardener. 

One  day  he  ran  breathlessly  to  Miss  Brent- 
hurst, who  was  sitting  with  her  work  on  the 
portico  overlooking  the  garden. 


62       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"  0,  auntie !  what  is  my  other  name,  please?" 
he  cried,  "  Simmons  is  going  to  write  it  for  me  in 
green,  and  it  will  be  so  pretty." 

His  good  friend  changed  color  and  turned 
aside  for  a  moment,  for  she  foresaw  in  this  the 
beginning  of  much  distress  of  mind  to  the  poor 
child.  What  was  his  name  ?  Oh !  how  she 
wished  she  could  tell  him,  and  how  earnestly  she 
desired  that  the  mystery  surrounding  him  could 
be  cleared. 

Daily  and  hourly  he  was  growing  dearer  to 
her,  and  the  time  might  come  when  parting,  if 
they  must  part,  would  be  an  unendurable  trial, 
and  yet  she  could  not  help  sympathizing  with  the 
eager  little  eyes  that  looked  up  inquiringly  to 
hers  as  he  repeated  : — 

"  What  is  my  name  beside  Lenny,  if  you  please, 
auntie?" 

"  Simmons  is  very  kind,  dear,  but  don't  you 
think  that   '  Lenny'  will  be  as  much   as  he  will 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  63 

be  able  to  find  room  for  in  that  bed  ?  I  think  I 
would  not  write  any  other  name  than  'Lenny.'  " 

Quite  satisfied  with  the  decision,  Lenny  ran 
away,  repeating — 

"  Auntie  says  write  Lenny,  if  you  please,  Sim- 
mons ;"  adding,  on  his  own  responsibility,  "  I 
guess  my  name  is  Lenny  Brenthurst,  but  that  is 
too  long,  isn't  it  ?" 

The  gardener,  who  had  no  thought  of  the  per- 
plexity his  question  had  occasioned,  looked  up 
smiling. 

"It  would  take  a  large  bed  to  hold  that 
name,"  he  said;  "no,  it  was  the  first  one  I 
wanted  to  know.  Master  Lenny  seems  like  a 
pet  name  for  a  longer  one." 

"But  it  is  the  only  one  we  call  him  by,"  said 
Miss  Brenthurst,  leaning  over  the  portico ; 
"  write  it  Lenny,  please." 

"  He  does  not  write  it,  auntie,  he  only  makes 
little  holes,  and  puts  in  seed.     God  writes  it  by 


64       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

and-by  when  He  makes  the  green  leaves  spring 
up,  and  grow  into  letters  to  spell  my  name." 

Miss  Brenthurst  came  down  the  steps  leading 
into  the  garden,  and  drew  near  where  they  stood. 
"  You  say,  Lenny,  dear,  that  God  will  make  the 
leaves  grow,"  she  said ;  "  yet  you  see  it  is  neces- 
sary to  do  something  yourself — you  understand 
now,  why,  when  you  say  your  prayers  and  ask 
God  to  make  you  good,  you  must  try  all  you  can 
to  do  right,  so  that  He  will  help  you  when  He 
sees  you  mean  to  do  your  own  part." 

"  Yes,  auntie,  and  I  mean  to  try,  because — 
because  you  are  so  good  to  me." 

"It  is  God  who  is  good,  my  boy,"  said  the 
lady,  gently;  "you  must  learn  to  love  and  trust 
Him  in  all  things,  for  there  is  much  in  the  future 
that  He  only  can  do  for  you." 

The  gardener  looked  up  from  his  work,  and 
took  off  his  hat  before  addressing  his  mistress , 

"Do  you  know,  Miss  Helen,"  he  said,  "it  is 
a  strange  thing  to  hear  the  queer  names  Master 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  65 

Lenny  calls  the  plants ;  there  are  very  few  that 
he  has  not  some  kind  of  a  name  for,  and  I  believe 
he  has  lived  in  a  garden  somewhere,  he  seems  so 
fond  of  flowers  and  so  much  at  home  among 
them." 

"  It  is  a  pleasant  taste,  and  a  very  proper  one 
for  him  to  cultivate  just  now,"  she  answered. 
"  He  learns  so  readily,  that  although  my  brother 
and  I  are  opposed  to  children  beginning  study 
too  young,  we  cannot  very  well  prevent  his  learn- 
ing. He  may  take  as  many  out-door  lessons  as 
he  can,  without  making  himself  delicate ;  but  a 
few  months  shut  up  in  the  nursery  with  his  books 
might  steal  my  dear  little  Lenny's  rosy  cheeks." 

She  patted  him  tenderly  on  the  head,  and 
taking  his  hand,  said  she  would  walk  with  him 
round  the  beds,  and  hear  all  he  could  tell  her  of 
Simmons's  plans,  which  he  was  very  ready  to  dis- 
cribe,  and  very  enthusiastic  about.  He  explained 
in  a  simple  but  intelligible  manner  all  the  good 
things  God  was  going  to  do  for  them ;  for  Sim- 
5 


66       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

nions  was  a  very  religious  old  man,  who  carried 
his  faith  into  his  daily  life,  and  would  not  dream 
of  assuming  any  power  or  responsibility  beyond 
the  sowing  and  planting,  and  who  seemed  to 
renew  his  trust  and  love  for  the  Divine  Being 
in  watching  His  tender  and  beautiful  works 
spring  into  life  and  loveliness  under  his  hands. 

This  was  a  very  young  child  to  teach  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion  to,  and  yet  there  was  a  half-de- 
fined foreboding  in  Miss  Brenthurst's  heart,  that 
he  would  need  the  sustaining  grace  of  God's  love 
beyond  every  other  support  in  his  future  life.  It 
may  be  that  she  was  influenced  by  the  knowledge 
she  had  of  the  painful  position  of  a  nameless 
child,  and  the  uncertainty  surrounding  his  future 
and  his  past.  The  present  was  all  she  could 
secure  to  him ;  and  as  they  walked  together,  she 
began  to  teach  him  about  the  best  and  dearest 
Friend  we  mortals,  whatever  our  station  or  story, 
can  ever  know. 

She  told  him  of  the  goodness  and  love  of  God, 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  67 

and  of  His  tender  mercy  and  compassion  ;  how  He 
answered  prayer,  and  gave  His  guiding  Spirit  to 
all  who  asked  aright. 

She  had  before  explained  to  him  the  gracious 
history  of  the  Saviour's  life  on  earth,  and  His 
mission  to  bring  sinful  men  into  God's  love  and 
communion  ;  with  a  timid  heart  and  faltering 
words  she  had  described  the  death  of  agony,  by 
which  He  had  sealed  His  office  and  reconciled  the 
children  to  their  offended  Father,  for  she  doubted 
her  own  power  of  making  it  plain  to  the  eager 
thoughtful  eyes  that  followed  every  word.  Then 
she  related  how  the  loving  Jesus  had  taken 
children  such  as  he  into  His  tender  embrace, 
and  uttered  the  memorable  words,  "  Suffer  little 
children  to  come  to  me,  and  forbid  them  not." 

This  day  she  told  him  that  he  could  go  into  the 
Saviour's  arms  by  faith,  just  as  Simmons  planted 
the  flower  seeds  and  waited  for  them  to  come  up 
in  tiny  green  shoots,  and  by-and-by,  when   the 


68       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

summer  grew  warmer,  and  the  sun  brighter,  the 
leaves  would  be  crowned  by  lovely  flowers. 

"  If  my  little  Lenny  is  determined  to  love  God 
and  do  His  will ;  to  pray  to  Him,  for  Jesus'  sake, 
to  take  all  the  evil  passions  and  wicked  thoughts 
that  rise  in  disobedience  to  Him,  out  of  his  heart, 
and  make  him  indeed  a  child  of  grace,  then  he  is 
already  in  the  Saviour's  arms  ;  the  seed  is  planted 
and  must  be  watered  by  prayer  and  watched,  lest 
naughty  thoughts  like  wicked  weeds  spring  up 
about  it  and  choke  it,  as  they  would  Simmons's 
flowers — if  he  did  not  guard  them." 

"But,"  said  Lenny,  thoughtfully,  "I  don't  see 
the  Saviour's  arms — where  are  they?" 

"  My  dear  boy,  Simmons  does  not  see  his  seed 
after  it  falls  in  the  earth,  but  he  knows  that  it  is 
taking  root,  and  will  grow  and  become  flowers  in 
good  time.  That  is  faith,  you  cannot  see  or  un- 
derstand it  clearly  now,  but  by-and-by  it  will 
become  plainer  to  you,  and  you  will  learn  to 
know  and  feel  the  lessons  I  now  repeat  to  you. 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  G9 

I  hope  that  their  meaning  may  grow  familiar  as 
you  grow  older." 

"  I  know  now,"  said  Lenny  eagerly,  "  I  know 
now  !  I'm  agoing  to  try  to  be  God's  little  boy, 
and  say  my  prayers,  and  mind  you  and  be  good 
— indeed,  indeed  I  am." 

"  God  bless  you,  my  darling,  and  hear  your 
prayers  !  If  He  will  only  keep  you  in  his  care,  I 
can  rest  content  with  whatever  chances  or  changes 
await  us  in  the  future." 

"  Miss  Brenthurst,  if  you  please,  ma'am,  my 
poor  old  woman  would  be  glad  to  see  Master 
Lenny  if  you  would  allow  me  to  take  him  home 
for  an  hour  or  so.  She's  laid  up  with  the  rheu- 
matics, you  know,  and  has  been  kept  in  the  house 
so  long  that  the  sight  of  his  young  face  would  do 
her  heart  good.  And  I'll  take  great  care  of 
him,"  he  added,  seeing  an  instant's  irresolution 
on  the  lady's  face. 

"  Certainly,"  she  replied,  smiling ;  "I  don't 
doubt  it  in  the  least.     Come  with  me,  Lenny,  and 


70       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

carry  Mrs.  Simmons  a  little  basket  of  something 
for  her  rheumatism.  I'll  send  him  to  you 
directly,  Simmons ;  and  tell  your  wife  I  will  come 
and  see  her  soon,  and  learn  how  the  medicine 
I  sent  has  acted;" 

The  parcel  Miss  Brenthurst  put  in  the  basket 
for  Lenny  was  so  large  that  Bessie  was  sent  to 
help  him  to  carry  it  to  the  gardener.  There  was 
a  good  roll  of  red  flannel,  and  some  warm  woollen 
stockings,  beside  a  bottle  of  liniment  to  bathe 
with,  and  a  paper  of  tea  and  sugar. 

Simmons  was  already  putting  away  his  rake 
and  spade  in  the  ornamental  tool-house  at  the 
end  of  the  garden,  when  Lenny  appeared,  his  face 
beaming  as  if  he  expected  a  great  treat  in  the 
visit. 

"  Auntie  says  these  things  are  for  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons, and  I  may  stay  an  hour  if  I'm  a  good  boy ; 
and  I  mean  to  be  a  good  boy,  too."  He  said  this 
in  a  breathless  way,  and  put  his  hand  in  Sim- 
mons's,  all  ready  to  start.     Bessie  cautioned  him 


LENNY'S  LESSONS.  71 

to  keep  his  clothes  nice,  and  saw  him  to  the  gate, 
closing  it  after  them  as  they  went.  Simmons,  who 
was  very  fond  of  children,  seemed  quite  delighted 
with  the  pleasure  of  the  little  fellow's  society, 
and  Lenny  himself  appeared  elated  with  the  pros- 
pect of  the  pleasure  before  him. 


CHAPTER    SIXTH. 

LENNY'S  VISIT. 

IMMONS'S  house  was  so  little  and  snug 
!/  that  this  fact  alone  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient delight  to  Lenny.  There  was  a 
little  door  with  a  little  porch  over  it,  and 
one  little  window  at  the  side  of  it.  The  porch, 
door,  and  window  were  all  three  festooned  with 
delicate  vines  that  made  the  homely  little  place 
quite  lovely  in  its  sweet  spring-like  green. 
When  the  little  door  was  opened  it  ushered  them 
into  a  tidy  room,  small  but  very  cleanly,  with  its 
four  white-washed  walls  hung  with  highly  colored 
prints,  and  its  well-scrubbed  floor  only  partly 
covered  with  decent  home-made  carpet.  Its 
articles  of  furniture  were  not  many  in  number, 

(72) 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  73 

but  they  were  substantial  and  well  kept ;  and 
Lenny  could  see  that  there  was  a  back  shed  or 
kitchen  outside,  where  the  coarser  articles  of  the 
household  work  were  kept.  Although  the 
weather  was  warm  and  mild,  a  bright  little  fire 
burnt  in  the  grate,  and  a  kettle  was  singing 
cheerily  on  the  hob.  Beside  it,  in  a  basket-arm- 
chair, sate  a  woman,  wrinkled  and  bent — more 
with  disease  than  age  it  would  seem — and  around 
her  shoulders  were  gathered  the  folds  of  a  warm 
knitted  shawl,  while  her  feet  rested  on  a  cush- 
ioned stool  close  to  the  fire.  At  a  first  glance 
she  was  not  a  pleasant-looking  old  lady  ;  she  was 
too  pale  and  hollow-jawed  for  that;  but  when 
she  spoke,  and  a  beaming  smile  lighted  up  her 
withered  face,  the  first  impression  was  lost 
entirely,  and  any  one  who  listened  to  her  patient 
cheerful  voice  soon  learned  to  love  her. 

When  she  saw  Lenny  she  stretched  out  her 
hand  kindly. . 

"  So  this  is  Miss  Brenthurst's  young  charge  ?" 


74       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

she  said,  smiling.  "  Will  you  come  and  speak  to 
me,  my  dear  young  master  ?  it  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  a  bright  little  face  like  yours ;  for 
there  are  four  of  ours  that  God  has  taken  home 
to  live  with  Him  in  heaven,  that  were  just  as 
bright  and  dear  while  we  had  them  with  us." 

Lenny's  mind  was  fresh  from  his  aunt's  lesson, 
and  he  was  a  peculiarly  frank  and  artless  child. 

"Are  they  in  the  Saviour's  arms?"  he  asked, 
with  simple  earnestness ;  "  I  mean  do  they  see 
and  feel  them  around  them  ?  Auntie  says  all 
the  children  that  love  Jesus  are  taken  into  his 
arms,  but  when  they  go  to  heaven  they  see  his 
face  and  know  Him." 

"  Yes,  dear  Master  Lenny,  my  little  lambs  are 
gathered  in  the  fold  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  Do 
you  like  to  look  at  pictures  ?" 

"  0,  yes,  auntie  has  a  great  many  pretty  ones 
in  my  room  at  home." 

"  Well,  look  at  this  that  hangs  beside  the  win- 
dow— it  is  called  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  that 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  75 

means  the  Saviour.  See  the  pure  white  sheep 
that  he  is  gathering  together  under  his  watchful 
love ;  they  are  the  souls  that  have  been  washed 
in  his  precious  blood.  See  the  wolves  peeping 
out  of  that  dark  wood,  and  the  heavy  clouds 
rising  beyond — those  are  the  storms  and  tempta- 
tions of  this  life,  and  the  powerful  arm  of  the 
Lord  is  our  shelter  and  refuge  from  them  all." 

Lenny's  fascinated  eyes  lingered  on  the  picture 
with  eager  curiosity. 

"  See  the  crook  in  his  hand, — auntie  says  all 
shepherds  have  crooks,  and  that  is  the  gospel- 
crook  what  the  Good  Shepherd  holds.  Look  at 
the  tiny  little  sheep, — those  are  the  lambs,  the 
little  children ;  but  I  don't  see  any  wicked  goats. 
Are  all  goats  wicked  ?" 

Finding  her  little  guest's  interest  excited,  Mrs. 
Simmons,  in  her  simple  and  unlearned  way,  pro- 
ceeded to  explain  her  own  knowledge  of  the 
subject  so  as  to  suit  his  youthful  mind. 

"I  am  glad  it  is  not  wicked  to  be  a  goat,"  he 


76       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Baid ;  "  for  I  saw  some  pretty  little  kids  one  day, 
and  they  looked  very  good." 

There  were  other  pictures  on  the  wall,  and 
while  Simmons  set  out  a  little  table  and  spread  a 
clean  cloth  upon  it  for  tea,  his  wife  directed 
Lenny's  attention  to  them,  and  asked  him  if  he 
could  tell  her  what  they  meant. 

"  This  one  over  the  mantelpiece  is  pretty,  and 
I  think  I  know  it.  That  little  boy  is  saying  his 
prayers,  and  looking  up  into  the  bright  light. 
He  is  little  Samuel — 

'  When  little  Samuel  woke, 
And  heard  his  Maker's  voice  ;' 

I  know  that,  may  I  say  it  to  you  ?" 

Greatly  pleased  to  hear  his  reverent  little  voice 
repeating  this  pretty  little  poem,  Mrs.  Simmons, 
who  loved  children  dearly,  begged  him  to  tell  her 
all  the  verses  he  knew. 

He  proved  the  excellence  of  his  memory  by 
recalling  some  Scriptural  incident  in  connection 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  77 

with  nearly  all  the  pictures,  and  related  the  story 
Df  Cain  and  Abel  in  his  unvarnished,  childish 
way,  to  the  old  lady's  great  delight.  Finding  in 
her  a  very  interested  listener,  he  told  her  he  had 
learned  all  about  Abraham  and  Isaac,  and 
Noah's  Ark,  which  he  would  repeat,  if  she  would 
like  to  hear  it. 

She  said  she  dearly  loved  to  listen  to  God's 
Holy  Word,  and  that  when  little  children  like 
him  showed  a  knowledge  of  its  great  truths,  it 
rejoiced  her  heart  to  hear  them  repeat  the  lessons 
they  had  learned. 

So  Lenny,  finding  that  she  approved  of  his 
innocent  narrations,  and  did  not  laugh  when  he 
stammered  for  a  word  or  found  a  rather  unsuita- 
ble one,  went  on,  with  great  enjoyment  of  the 
stories  he  told  ;  and  whenever  he  could  remember 
any  of  Dr.  Watts's  hymns  that  seemed  appropri- 
ate, he  sang  them  to  the  pretty,  simple  tunes  his 
auntie  had  taught  him. 


78       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Simmons,  seeing  the  pleasure  his  poor  wife 
found  in  their  young  visitor,  did  not  interfere 
with  her  enjoyment,  but  prepared  and  set  before 
them  the  best  entertainment  the  house  afforded. 

There  was  a  plate  and  mug  for  Lenny  that  in 
themselves  were  a  complete  treat.  They  were 
made  of  pretty  blue  china,  with  gold  bands,  and 
the  plate  had  a  picture  in  the  centre  of  "  Christ 
Stilling  the  Tempest." 

A  ship  had  the  same  charm  for  Lenny  that 
such  things  always  have  for  little  boys,  and  he 
gazed  admiringly  on  the  spreading  sails  and 
foamy  waves. 

"That  is  the  Saviour's  face,"  he  said,  point- 
ing to  the  one  that  was  meant  to  represent  Him. 
"  I  always  know  the  Saviour,  He  looks  so  mild 
and  loving.  And  see,  here  He  is  again  on  this 
pretty  cup,  with  all  the  children  in  his  arms.  I 
know  a  nice  hymn  about  it.  I  don't  know  it  every 
word  yet,  but  I  am  going  to  learn  it  so  as  to  say 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  79 

it  to  auntie."     And  he  began  to  say  those  little 
verses,  commencing — 

"  I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old." 

"Master  Lenny,"  said  Simmons,  sadly,  "you 
are  going  to  eat  and  drink  from  the  plate  and 
cup  of  our  youngest  boy,  who  has  been  at  home 
with  his  Heavenly  Father  all  of  twenty  years. 
He  used  to  be  so  good  and  pleasant  in  his  ways 
that  he  filled  us  with  great  hope  and  joy.  We 
thought  he  would  live  to  be  a  good  man,  and 
may  be  learn  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  heathen 
lands,  for  he  often  said  he  wanted  to  be  a  mes- 
senger of  Christ's ;  but  the  wise  and  loving  God 
chose  to  call  him  away  to  himself,  and  we  had  to 
let  him  go,  even  though  it  seemed  to  tear  our 
hearts  up  by  the  roots — the  love  we  had  was  so 
deeply  planted  there.  Yes,  Master  Lenny, 
that's  our  Willie's  mug  arid  plate,  and  when  you 
look  at  the  pictures  with  such  a  knowledge  of 
what  they  show  us,  it  brings  him  back  to  my 


80       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

good  woman  and  me  very  plain.  God  bless  us 
all,  and  grant  that  we  may  meet  him  by-and-by." 

Lenny  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  quite 
awed  by  the  solemnity  of  the  scene. 

The  twenty  years  that  had  passed  since  the 
old  gardener  had  laid  his  last  child  in  the  earth 
seemed  but  a  little  while  to  look  back  upon,  and 
somehow  the  trusting  little  face  before  them 
brought  back  that  other  face — long,  long  since 
turned  to  dust — that  used  to  sit  where  Lenny  sat 
now,  and  fill  their  hearts  with  hope  and  joy. 

But  it  was  only  a  passing  shadow.  In  a  mo- 
ment or  two  they  looked  smiling  and  happy 
again. 

"  He  is  gone,  dear  wife,  from  sin  and  sorrow, 
and  he  won  the  crown  without  fighting  the  battle. 
The  least  we  can  do  is  to  strive  to  meet  him  in 
glory,  through  the  Redeemer's  mercy." 

Then  they  turned  to  Lenny,  and  tried  to  make 
him  enjoy  the  nice  things  set  before  him. 

"  These  currant  buns  are  of  my  own  making, 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  81 

Master  Lenny,"  said  Mrs.  Simmons.  "  You 
must  not  think  that  I  am  as  useless  as  I  look,  sit- 
ting here  so  idle.  It  is  only  my  knees  and  ankles 
that  are  weak.  I  can  work  with  my  hands  and 
arms,  and  so  my  good  man  has  put  wheels  on  my 
chair,  so  that  I  can  be  moved  about  easily. 
Sometimes  he  rolls  me  over  to  the  table,  and  1 
make  our  bread  and  cakes,  which  he  bakes  for 
me  in  the  outside  oven ;  then  sometimes  he  rolls 
me  to  the  window,  and  I  sew  and  knit.  I  can 
even  be  rolled  on  the  porch  when  the  weather  is 
warm,  and  then  I  enjoy  seeing  all  that  goes  on 
outside,  which  is  a  great  treat  to  an  old  body  like 
me." 

"  I  would  like  to  roll  your  chair,"  cried  Lenny, 
quite  taken  with  the  idea.  "  I  wish  I  were  your 
little  boy,  and  I  would  take  care  of  you." 

"  Bless  his  kind  little  heart !"  cried  Mrs.  Sim 
mphs,  much  gratified ;  "  but,  dear  young  master, 
you  have  a  better  lot  where  you  are.     You  must 
not  forget   to   be   thankful   that  you   are  Miss 


8^        ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Brenthurst's  little  boy,  for  she  is  one  of  the  kind- 
est and  best  ladies  in  the  world." 

"  My  auntie  will  lend  me  to  you,  because  your 
Willie  is  gone  to  heaven.  I  will  ask  her  to  let 
me  come  here  every  day,  and  wheel  your  chair." 

"  That  would  be  asking  too  much,  Master 
Lenny,"  said  Simmons;  "but  I  will  tell  you 
something.  My  wife  has  a  brother  who  used  to 
be  a  sailor,  and  he  lives  away  in  the  country  a 
dozen  miles  or  more  from  here.  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  has  promised  to  lend  me  a  little  carriage 
that  she  seldom  uses,  to  drive  out  there  some 
bright  day.  If  you  were  to  ask  leave  to  go  with 
us,  I  think  you  would  enioy  it,  and  we  would  be 
very  glad  to  take  care  of  you." 

Lenny's  eyes  sparkled. 

"  I  know  sailors ;  I  saw  them  on  a  great  ship, 
where  I  lived  with  mamma.  Does  your  brother 
live  in  a  ship  ?" 

"  No,  it  is  not  a  ship,  though  it  looks  like  one," 
answered  Mrs.  Simmons.     "  He  has  shells  and 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  83 

corals,  and  all  kinds  of  fish  in  a  glass  case,  and  a 
stuffed  seal  that,  when  it  was  alive,  he  used  to 
pet  it  as  if  it  were  a  little  dog  or  pussy  cat." 

"  0,  I  want  to  go !"  cried  Lenny,  looking 
round  for  the  means  of  starting  at  once ;  "  can't 
you  take  me  there  now?" 

"Not  to-day;  we  must  start  in  the  morning, 
and  make  a  day's  journey  of  it ;  and  first  of  all, 
we  must  get  your  aunt's  consent." 

Perhaps  it  was  a  fault  of  Lenny's  to  be  a  little 
impatient,  and  for  a  single  moment  he  seemed  in- 
clined to  lose  sight  of  his  present  enjoyment,  in 
longing  for  the  promised  visit ;  but  Mrs.  Simmons 
recalled  his  cheerfulness  by  her  kindly  advice. 
"  Don't  let  your  good  auntie  see  that  you  are  un- 
grateful for  the  pleasures  she  gives  you,  Master 
Lenny,"  she  said  ;  "  it  was  very  kind  of  her  to  let 
you  come  and  make  us  this  nice  visit.  See  !  here 
is  a  cup  of  milk  from  our  old  sukey-cow.  Your 
uncle  gave  her  to  us  for  a  Christmas  present  two 
years  ago,  and  she  is  one  of  the  best  friends  we 


84       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

have.  She  gives  us  all  our  butter  and  cream,  and 
seems  to  know  us  both  when  we  call  her." 

"  May  I  see  her,  please  ?" 

"  Yes,  surely,  when  she  is  milked  you  can  look 
at  her.     Did  you  ever  see  any  one  milk  a  cow  ?" 

"Yes,  ma'am,  I  had  a  cow  in  my  garden!" 
cried  Lenny  quickly ;  but  after  pondering  a  lit- 
tle while  he  seemed  to  think  himself  mistaken, 
for  his  face  grew  perplexed,  and  his  little  brow 
contracted. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  admitted  slowly,  "  I  don't 
know  if  I  had  a  cow.  I  thought  at  first  there 
was  one  in  the  garden,  but  I  don't  know,  now." 

Simmons  looked  gravely  at  his  wife. 

"  Miss  Brenthurst  often  asks  him  about  the 
garden  he  speaks  of,"  he  said;  "and  he  always 
becomes  confused  and  worried  after  they  talk  of 
it  a  little  while.  He  says  he  lived  there,  and  on 
«  ship,  and  seems  to  get  them  confused  to- 
gether." 

"  Perhaps  she  would  rather  we  did  not  mention 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  85 

them  at  all  to  him?"  returned  his  wife  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  No,  I  think  she  is  glad  to  gather  anything 
she  can  about  his  past  histoiy ;  indeed  she  told 
me  so." 

Hearing  this,  Mrs.  Simmons  turned  round  with 
a  pleasant  smile,  and  asked  Lenny  what  name  he 
used  to  call  his  cow  when  he  went  out  to  see  her 
milked. 

"  Babette,"  he  replied  quickly ;  and  then 
stopped  and  looked  round  him  with  the  strange 
worried  gaze  that  always  accompanied  his  efforts 
to  recall  the  past. 

"  Well,  that's  a  pretty  name ;  did  she  come  to 
you  when  she  heard  you  say,  Babette  !  Babette  !" 

"No,  no,"  said  Lenny,  looking  more  and  more 
bewildered,  "  it  was  Franz  and  Babette ;  there 
was  no  cow,  it  was  a  pretty  goat ;  two  pretty  white 
goats." 

"  And  on»  was  called  Franz  and  the  other 
Babette — which  did  you  like  the  best  ?" 


S6       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Lenny  laughed  heartily. 

"Franz  was  not  a  goat,"  he  said,  "he  had 
nice  music" — he  took  up  a  fork  and  held  it  like  a 
flageolet  at  his  lips — "  this  is  the  way  Franz  made 
music;"  he  snowed  the  motions  quite  correctly, 
and  then  looked  eagerly  toward  Mrs.  Simmons 
as  if  expecting  her  to  explain  them. 

"  Don't  look  surprised,"  she  said  quietly  to  her 
husband ;  "I  believe  the  reason  he  has  not  been 
able  to  tell  more  is  that  their  anxiety  confuses 
him." 

"It  is  our  duty  to  remember  all  he  says,  and 
repeat  it  to  Miss  Brenthurst,"  returned  Simmons, 
in  the  same  low  tone ;  but  Lenny  seemed  to 
think  that  he  had  been  thoughtful  long  enough ; 
he  now  came  back  from  the  past  to  the  present, 
and  declared  that  there  never  were  such  nice 
cakes  as  those  Mrs.  Simmons  had  made. 

"When  you  come  again,  I'll  make  one  with 
your  name  on  it  in  currants,  and  a  little  pie  just 
large  enough  for  your  own  dinner." 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  87 

"  And  may  I  carry  it  home  and  show  it  to 
auntie,  and  give  her  a  little  piece,  too  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  you  must  please  to  thank 
her  very  much  for  all  the  good  things  she  sent 
me  to-day,  and  carry  a  little  basket  of  eggs 
freshly  laid  by  our  own  hens,  as  a  small  offering 
in  return." 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  may  I  see  your  hens,  Simmons, 
if  you  please  ?" 

"  Now  that  you  are  done  with  your  cake  and 
milk,  I  was  just  going  to  propose  that  we  should 
go  out  and  look  at  Sukey  and  the  chickens,' 
said  the  gardener;  "but  first  I  will  get  you  the 
pan,  good  woman,  to  rinse  the  tea-things  in.  See, 
Master  Lenny,  how  handy  my  wife  is  !  She  can 
wash  up  the  dishes,  and  shake  the  cloth  in  the 
grate,  without  moving  out  of  her  chair." 

Mrs.  Simmons  smiled  cheerfully,  and  set  to 
work  as  her  husband  said.  First  she  moved  the 
table-cloth  aside  to  make  way  for  the  basin  of 
hot  water,  then  she  put  all  the  slops  in  one  bowl. 


00       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

and  piled  the  cups  and  saucers  neatly,  shook  and 
folded  the  cloth,  which  she  put  in  the  table 
drawer,  and  with  a  clean  towel  began  to  dry  the 
dishes  after  rinsing  them. 

It  seemed  such  an  amusing  way  to  work,  that 
Lenny  was  quite  fascinated  by  it,  particularly 
when  Simmons  took  down  a  brightly  painted 
hearth-brush,  and  a  little  japanned  dust-pan  from 
beside  the  grate,  and  whisked  up  the  chance 
crumbs  that  had  fallen. 

"  0,  please  let  me  sweep  with  that  little 
brush,"  he  cried;  "it  is  so  pretty;  Babette's 
was  not  like  that — she  took  a  big  bird's  wing  to 
sweep  with." 

"No,  not  now,  Master  Lenny;  we  will  only 
have  time  to  see  Sukey  and  the  chickens  before  I 
must  take  you  home,"  said  Simmons,  standing 
with  a  basket  of  beautiful  large  eggs  in  his  hand. 
"You  see,  Margery,"  he  added,  in  an  undertone 
to  his  wife ;  "  Babette  was  neither  a  cow  nor  a 
goat,  and  Master  Lenny  must  have  li\ed  in  some 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  89 

other  country,  for  it  is  not  an  American  name. 
Come  now,"  lie  continued  speaking  to  Lenny, 
"  come  out  into  the  hen-house ;  I  want  two  more 
eggs  to  make  the  dozen,  and  you  shall  find  them 
in  the  nest,  Master  Lenny." 

It  was  a  very  little  yard,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
kept  scrupulously  clean  and  in  order  would  not 
have  been  very  nice ;  but  Simmons  had  learned 
to  be  the  best  of  housekeepers  out  of  love  for  his 
poor  maimed  wife,  who  could  not  work  about, 
and  who  would  have  fretted  to  see  the  place  dirty 
and  disorderly. 

It  was  partly  paved  and  partly  boarded,  and 
paving  and  boarding  were  both  as  clean  as  they 
could  be  made ;  a  tiny  wooden  lattice  fence 
separated  this  part  of  the  yard  from  the  minia- 
ture barn  and  chicken-house  beyond.  They 
passed  through  a  little  gate  which  they  closed 
behind  them,  and  then  Simmons  opened  the  door 
of  the  little  building  where,  by  the  clucking  and 
fluttering,  Lenny  knew  the  chickens  were.     Sim- 


90       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

mons  then  began  to  call  them  by  name :  "  Come, 
Speckle,  Lily,  Brownie,  Scratcher,  Bunch,  Bus- 
tle, Top-Knot,  Mottle,  Daisy,  Netty,  Dame 
Frump,  and  Jenny  Wren." 

"  0,  what  funny  names  !"  cried  Lenny ;  "  show 
me  which  is  Jenny  Wren ;  I  know  a  pretty  story 
about  her." 

"  This  little  gray  one  with  the  busy  little 
nutter  in  her  wings — that's  Scratcher,  she's 
always  digging ;  and  here's  Lilly,  as  white  as 
snow ;  Speckle  is  all  covered  with  dots,  and  Top- 
Knot  has  a  red  hood.  See  Brownie,  and  round 
little  Bunch,  and  busy  Bustle.  Now  you  can 
scatter  this  meal,  Master  Lenny,  and  see  them 
hop  about  and  pick  it  up." 

This  was  quite  a  delightful  occupation,  and 
Lenny  wished  that  time  did  not  pass  so  quickly, 
for  Simmons  said  that  they  would  only  have  time 
to  get  the  eggs,  and  take  a  look  at  Sukey  before 
it  was  time  to  go  back.     Lenny  found  four  eggs 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  91 

with  his  own  little  hands  in  the  nest,  and  in  his 
joyous  excitement  broke  one  of  them,  which 
Simmons  kindly  said  did  not  matter,  for  they 
could  fry  it  for  breakfast. 

Then  they  saw  old  Sukey  feeding.  She  turned 
her  head  towards  them,  and  looked  so  large  and 
her  horns  seemed  so  great,  that  Lenny  edged  his 
way  out  towards  the  door  a  little  timidly. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  like  such  very  large  cows," 
he  faltered ;  "  she  might  bite  me,  and  hurt  me 
with  her  horns." 

"0,  no  indeed,  Master  Lenny,  she  is  very 
gentle,"  said  his  friend.  "When  we  first  got 
her  she  used  sometimes  to  kick  over  the  pail  of 
milk  just  as  it  was  full,  and  that  was  very 
naughty ;  so  we  had  to  punish  her  to  teach  her 
better,  just  as  parents  are  obliged  to  do  with  bad 
children  sometimes." 

"Did  you  put  her  to  bed  without  her  tea?" 
asked  Lenny,  deeply  interested  in  Sukey's  cor- 


92       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

rection,  the  more  so  as  he  felt  a  little  shy  of  her, 
and  could  scarcely  believe  in  her  reformation. 

Simmons  laughed. 

"  No,  Master  Lenny,  that  would  not  be  a  suit- 
able punishment  for  Sukey.  She  has  no  con- 
science, you  know,  and  when  she  does  wrong,  she 
is  not  as  guilty  as  a  little  boy  who  is  taught  how 
to  be  good  would  be.  We  had  to  whip  her  with 
a  stick,  and  make  her  afraid  to  be  bad." 

A  little  boy  two  or  three  years  older  than 
Lenny  had  been  resting  his  chin  on  the  fence 
that  divided  Simmons's  yard  from  the  one  behind 
it,  and  regarding  the  child's  movements  with 
intense  interest.  He  now  laughed  merrily,  and 
Simmons,  looking  up,  said  :  "  Ah  !  there  you  are, 
Dick  White !  and  how  are  you  to-day,  my  boy  ?" 

To  which  the  boy  replied : — 

"  Quite  well,  thank  you,  Mr.  Simmons.  I  was 
laughing  to  think  how  Sukey  served  me  when 
she  first  came  here." 


LENNY'S  VISIT.  93 

"Yes,  I  must  tell  Master  Lenny  about  that  as 
we  go  home  together.  Come  in  and  stay  with 
my  good  woman,  if  you  please,  while  I'm  gone, 
and  she  will  tell  you  about  going  to  Uncle 
Nep's." 


CHAPTER     SEVENTH. 

LENNY'S  NEW  ACQUAINTANCE. 

PFARENTLY  this  invitation  was  exceed- 
ingly well  received,  for  Dick  instantly 
disappeared,  after  saying, 

"Yes,  sir,  thank  you;"  and  in  a 
moment  more  he  reappeared  in  the  little  porch 
with  his  cap  in  his  hand,  and  his  bright  blue  eyes 
dancing  with  pleasure. 

He  was  quite  a  great  boy  compared  to  Lenny, 
and  he  had  a  pleasant  cheerful  frankness  about 
him  that  made  his  ruddy  face  seem  really  hand- 
some. His  head  was  covered  with  light  crisp 
curls,  and  good  humor  and  merriment  twinkled 
in  his  eyes. 

(94) 


LENNY'S  NEW  ACQUAINTANCE.         05 

His  dress  was  plain  but  very  neat  and  tidy, 
and  his  manners  were  respectful  and  pleasant. 

"  This  is  my  young  friend  Dick  White,  Mas- 
ter Lenny,"  said  the  gardener;  "his  mother  is 
an  excellent  person,  and  has  been  like  a  sister  to 
my  wife  in  sickness ;  we  arc  near  neighbors,  you 
see,  and  Dick  sometimes  stays  with  my  good 
woman  when  I  am  away.  But  Dick  is  a  busy 
boy  now-a-days,  and  can't  spare  me  as  much  time 
as  he  used  to.  He  does  all  the  work  he  can  in 
the  daytime,  and  learns  lessons  in  the  evening." 

Lenny  looked  up  at  this  wonderful  boy  with 
great  respect ;  but  Dick  himself  did  nothing  but 
blush  and  laugh,  until  Mrs.  Simmons  said : — 

"  I  am  going  to  wind  yarn  for  that  jacket  I 
am  to  knit  for  your  mother — will  you  hold  my 
skeins,  Dick?"  When  he  immediately  sat  down 
in  front  of  her  and  stretched  out  his  hands,  show- 
ing that  he  was  well  used  to  the  business. 

As  they  went  home  together,  Simmons  told 


96       AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Lenny  that  Dick's  mother  was  a  widow,  and  he 
her  only  son.  His  father  had  been  a  very  good 
gentleman,  but  he  was  so  unfortunate  in  business 
as  to  die  leaving  his  wife  and  child  in  great 
poverty. 

A  kind  friend  who  pitied  her  desolation  gave 
her  the  little  cottage  and  piece  of  ground  attached 
to  it,  where  she  had  lived  for  years  and  worked 
hard  at  such  employment  as  lay  in  her  power  to 
perform.  She  could  embroider  and  do  all  kinds 
of  elegant  sewing,  at  which  she  had  been  so 
industrious  as  to  injure  her  health  and  eyesight. 
Her  noble-hearted  boy,  with  forethought  beyond 
his  years,  saw  that  her  strength  was  overtaxed, 
and  manfully  determined  to  do  his  best  to  help 
her.  On  his  own  responsibility,  he  had  started 
out  to  look  for  something  to  do,  and  finding  an 
old  friend  of  his  father's,  who  was  the  principal 
clerk  in  a  large  business  house,  got  employment 
through  him  as  messenger  and  errand-boy,  at  a 
nice  little  weekly  payment.     He  went  quite  early 


LENNY' S  NEW- A CQ UAINTANCE.         97 

every  morning,  but  got  through  his  duties  a  little 
after  dinner-time,  and  his  mother  helped  him 
with  his  lessons  in  the  evenings,  so  that  he  should 
not  entirely  lose  sight  of  his  education.  It  had 
cost  poor  Mrs.  White  quite  an  effort  to  give  up 
her  son's  schooling,  even  for  a  time ;  but  she  felt 
that  if  she  could  rest  for  a  few  months  she  would 
be  all  the  better  able  to  attend  to  her  duty  in 
the  future,  and  she  thanked  God,  who  had  blessed 
her  with  such  a  loving,  dutiful  child. 

The  story  Simmons  told  about  Sukey  and 
Dick  made  Lenny  laugh.  It  happened  just 
after  they  had  received  the  cow  from  Mr.  Brent- 
hurst,  and  before  her  mischievous  qualities  had 
been  subdued. 

One  day  Mrs.  Simmons,  who  was  not  then 
confined  to  her  chair  through  lameness,  sent 
Dick  to  the  hen-house  to  get  some  eggs.  He 
remained  away  so  long  that  she  quite  forgot 
about  him,  until  suddenly  remembering  that  she 
had  sent  him,  and  he  had  not  returned,  she 
7 


08       ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

opened  the  door,  and  went  cut  to  look  after 
him. 

He  was  quite  hoarse  with  calling,  and  still 
kept  on.  She  looked  over  the  little  fence  that 
divided  the  two  yards,  and  soon  saw  what  was 
the  matter.  Sukey  had  slipped  her  head  out  of 
her  rope,  had  left  her  place  in  the  barn,  and 
stood  with  her  horns  bent  down  and  pointing 
directly  at  the  door  of  the  hen-house,  as  if  she 
had  been  appointed  guard  over  a  prisoner  there. 
If  poor  little  Dick  attempted  to  peep  out,  down 
would  come  the  threatening  horns  to  meet  him, 
and  the  angry  eye  would  glance  terror  into  his 
sinking  heart.  When  he  shrank  back,  com- 
pletely terrified,  she  would  toss  her  naughty 
head  triumphantly,  as  to  say,  "  I  have  got  you, 
my  boy,  and  I  mean  to  keep  you  too."  So  all 
he  could  do  was  to  call  for  assistance,  which,  the 
doors  being  closed,  Mrs.  Simmons  did  not  hear. 

"Did  you  scold  her  for  being  bad?"  asked 
Lenny,  much  amused  at  the  idea  of  Dick's  im- 


LENNY' S  NEW  A CQ UAINTANCE.         99 

prisonment  in  the  hen-house,  and  feeling  rather 
pleased  that  Sukey  had  frightened  another  boy 
as  well  as  himself. 

"  0,  yes,  we  scolded  her,  and  made  her  under- 
stand that  it  was  wrong  to  play  such  pranks. 
Now  she  is  a  good  cow,  and  Dick  milks  her 
sometimes." 

"May  I  ask  auntie  to  let  me  milk  her  too?" 
exclaimed  Lenny,  excited  at  the  idea.  "  I  would 
not  be  afraid,  if  you  would  tie  her  feet  and 
horns,  and  hold  her  tail." 

"  By-and-by,  when  you  grow  older,  we  will  see 
about  it,"  said  Simmons.  "  Here  comes  Bessie 
down  the  garden-walk.  Carry  the  basket  of 
eggs  to  her,  and  tell  your  kind  aunt  the  names 
of  the  chickens  that  laid  them  for  her,  please." 

"Yes,  I  will,"  cried  Lenny,  starting  to  run 
off  with  his  prize ;  but,  suddenly  remembering 
what  a  pleasant  time  he  had  had,  he  came  back 
a  step  or  two,  and  said  :  "  Thank  you,  Simmons, 


100     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

for  taking  me  to  your  house ;  I  want  to  go  again 
soon." 

But  Lenny's  plans  for  seeing  Dick  White 
again,  and  making  a  visit  to  Uncle  Nep's  myste- 
riously delightful  home,  were  all  deferred  by  the 
unlooked-for  events  that  followed. 

His  aunt  listened  with  great  pleasure  to  his 
innocent  narration  of  the  pleasures  he  enjoyed, 
and  rejoiced  to  hear  of  the  comfort  of  the  gar- 
dener's home,  to  which  she  had  contributed  more 
than  her  humble  goodness  allowed  her  to  remem- 
ber. When  Lenny  spoke  of  going  again  she 
promised  to  go  with  him,  and  hear  more  about 
Dick  White  and  his  kind  mother.  There  was 
nearly  a  week  of  dull  wet  weather  during  which 
Lenny  could  not  play  out  of  doors,  and  it  seemed 
to  his  despairing  little  eyes  that  all  the  pretty 
garden  would  be  spoilt ;  but  Miss  Brenthurst 
assured  him  that  when  the  sun  shone  again  he 
would  discover  that  everything  had  been  growing 


LENNY'S  NE  W  A CQ UAINTANOE.       101 

busily  under  the  encouraging  rains,  and  that  his 
own  name  would  be  green  enough  to  read. 

To  get  a  glimpse  of  this,  he  pressed  his  face 
close  against  the  glass  of  the  bay-window  over- 
looking the  garden ;  but  the  rain  poured  so 
steadily  nearly  all  the  time  that  all  he  could  see 
was  the  drops  chasing  each  other,  and  falling 
drip,  drip,  in  the  little  pools  in  the  garden,  and 
patter,  on  the  roof  of  the  portico. 

"  I  don't  like  such  water-days,"  he  declared, 
at  length.  "lam  going  to  say  my  prayers,  and 
ask  God  to  dry  the  earth  all  nice  and  warm 
again." 

"  Come  and  read  me  a  pretty  story,"  said  his 
auntie,  cheerily ;  "  come  tell  me  some  of  those 
nice  hymns  you  have  learned.  Don't  you  know 
that  some  poor  little  boys  have  to  wander  out  in 
just  such  rainy  days,  and  get  all  wet  and  miser- 
able ?  My  little  Lenny  should  be  thankful  that 
he  has  a  nice  room  to  stay  in,  and  should  not 


102     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

fret  because  lie  has  to  wait  a  day  or  two  before 
he  sees  his  garden." 

"  0,  auntie,"  returned  the  child,  not  properly 
impressed  by  this  lesson,  "I  wish  I  were  a  poor 
little  boy,  I  would  not  mind  the  water,  I  would 
laugh  and  jump  in  the  puddles,  and  shake  off  the 
drops." 

Bessie  tapped  at  the  door  before  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  could  reply. 

"  If  you  would  please  to  step  down  into  the 
hall,  miss,"  she  said ;  "  there's  a  poor  woman 
with  a  little  girl  and  a  baby.  They  are  beggars, 
and  they  seems  poorly.  Cook  says  may  they 
go  into  the  kitchen  ?" 

"  Yes,  certainly,  take  them  in  where  there  is  a 
fire  at  once.  A  little  girl  and  a  baby  did  you 
say,  Bessie  ?  Come,  Lenny,  come  down  and 
see  them.  You  were  saying  you  would  like  to 
be  out  in  the  storm,  and  you  shall  judge  whether 
it  is  as  pleasant  as  it  seems." 


LENNY' S  NEW  ACQ UAINTANCE.      103 

"  But  I  would  not  want  to  go  without  my  sup- 
per, though,  auntie,"  he  interposed ;  "  1  said  I 
would  like  to  paddle  like  that  little  boy  that 
walked  in  the  gutter  with  his  pantaloons  rolled 
up,  just  for  fun,  you  know." 


CHAPTER    EIGHTH, 


LENNY'S  "LITTLE  JOHNNY." 


)HE  woman  and  her  two  children  were 
already  in  the  kitchen  when  they  went 
down.  Cook  had  given  her  a  seat  be- 
side the  range,  and  hung  her  dripping 
shawl  and  hood  where  they  might  dry.  She  had 
also  spread  out  a  tattered  cloak  of  the  child's 
before  the  fire,  and  had  taken  the  baby  in  her 
own  arms. 

"  0,  just  look  at  the  pretty  dear,"  she  said, 

tenderly ;    "  it  is   sickness    that's    ailing    it,    for 

you  can  hear  how  it  moans  as  it  breathes,  miss." 

"We  have  all  been  sick,"  said  the  woman; 

"  that  is  what   has   brought  us   so  low.     I  was 

(104) 


LENNY'S  "  LITTLE  JOHNNY."         105 

down  myself  for  three  weeks,  and  then  Sally  was 
took  bad,  and  now  Baby's  going." 

"Have  you  a  husband?"  asked  Miss  Brent 
hurst,  kindly. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  but  he  left  here  to  get  work 
on  the  railroad  six  months  ago.  He  gave  me 
money  enough  to  get  along  with  if  I  had  been 
able  to  work  a  little  myself;  but  I  was  laid  up 
and  had  to  buy  medicine,  and  it  all  Went.  Now 
I  am  too  weak  to  work,  and  my  spirit  seems 
broken.  Indeed,  ma'am,  I  feel  as  if  I  would 
rather  lie  down  and  die,  than  strive  any  longer 
against  poverty  and  misery." 

Miss  Brenthurst  looked  shocked  to  hear  her 
speak  so  despairingly. 

"  You  must  have  been  very  ill  and  wretched, 
my  poor  friend,"  she  said,  soothingly;  "but 
still  it  is  not  right  to  talk  so.  It  has  pleased  God 
tc  afflict  you,  but  trust  in  his  mercy  and  he  will 
raise  you  up  friends.  To  begin  with,  cook,  you 
had  better  get  them  something  warm  and  com- 


106     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

fortable  to  eat,  and  I  will  see  if  I  can  find  some 
dry  clothing  for  the  present." 

Leaving  Lenny  beside  the  baby,  that  Bessie 
had  taken  while  cook  rose  to  prepare  some  food, 
Miss  Brenthurst  went  up  to  her  store  closet, 
where  she  was  in  the  habit  of  putting  away  all 
sorts  of  garments  for  the  poor.  She  was  an 
active  Christian  in  her  quiet  way,  and  employed 
needy  seamstresses  to  sew  substantial  clothes  in 
the  summer  season,  to  be  given  to  the  destitute 
in  the  hard  cold  winter.  From  among  them  she 
selected  the  best  suited  to  the  three  poor  souls 
below,  and  carried  them  down.  Already  the 
benevolent  cook  had  prepared  a  wholesome  meal, 
and  the  woman  and  her  little  girl  were  just  sitting 
down  to  partake  of  it.  "  That's  right,"  said 
Miss  Brenthurst  cheerfully ;  "  you  will  feel  better 
able  to  tell  me  all  about  yourself,  after  you  have 
eaten  something  and  put  on  these  dry  things. 
Bessie,  you  can  bring  them  up  into  the  nursery 
then,  and  we  will  see  how  they  can  be  set  right." 


LENNY'S  "  LITTLE  JOHNNY."         107 

The  woman  rose,  and  murmured  her  thanks  in 
broken  words ;  apparently  she  had  not  been 
used  to  so  much  kindness,  for  she  was  completely 
overcome  by  it,  and  burst  into  tears,  unable  to 
express  herself  clearly. 

Miss  Brenthurst  made  light  of  what  she  had 
done,  and  called  Lenny  to  come  up  with  her. 

"  May  I  bring  the  baby,  too  ?"  asked  he,  still 
holding  its  thin  little  hand  in  his. 

"  Not  yet,  dear ;  its  mother  will  bring  it  pre- 
sently," said  his  aunt. 

"  Then  please  let  me  stay  till  she  comes," 
pleaded  Lenny ;  and  Bessie  said  she  would  see 
that  he  did  no  harm,  and  take  him  up  with  her. 
So  Miss  Brenthurst  allowed  him  to  remain,  be- 
cause he  seemed  so  very  fond  of  the  sick  child. 
In  a  little  while  he  came  up  the  stairs  heading  the 
small  procession,  and  calling  his  aunt's  attention 
to  the  improved  appearance  of  the  party,  by 
shouting : — 

"  0,  see  the  baby  now !  Bessie  put  the  little 


108     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

gown  on  it,  and  a  flannel  petticoat — isn't  it 
pretty?  isn't  it  pretty  ?" 

Indeed  they  all  three  looked  very  much  better 
in  every  way.  The  woman  had  on  a  good  chintz 
wrapper  and  a  gingham  apron,  the  little  girl 
wore  a  comfortable  calico  dress ;  and  all  three 
were  clean,  and  well  combed  and  brushed. 

Miss  Brenthurst  smiled  approvingly. 

"  Now  tell  me  where  your  husband  was  when 
you  last  wrote  to  him,  and  let  me  see  how  I  can 
serve  you,  in  bringing  you  together  again." 

The  woman  blushed. 

"  0,  ma'am,  we  neither  of  us  can  read  or 
write,"  she  confessed  ;  "and  that  has  caused  us 
sore  trouble,  for  he  got  a  man  to  write  to  me, 
that  put  the  wrong  name  on  the  letter  by  mistake, 
and  that  was  what  kept  me  so  long  waiting.  The 
woman  that  rented  us  a  room  wrote  an  answer 
for  me — when  I  got  it  at  last — and  said  that  I 
was  sick,  but  would  be  able  to  go  to  him  as  soon 
as  he  sent  me  the  money.     It  came  with  a  line 


LENNY'S  "LITTLE  JOHNNY."  109 

saying,  that  he  would  wait  for  me  on  a  day  he 
named,  and  giving  me  directions  how  to  come ; 
but  little  Hattie  had  been  sick,  and  I  had  been 
worse,  and  we  owed  most  of  the  money,  which  the 
people  would  not  wait  for  ;  so  I  could  not  go, 
and  I  have  never  heard  a  word  since." 

"  You  have  got  the  direction,  have  you  not  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  here  it  is  ;"  and  she  took  a  brown 
and  soiled  bit  of  paper  out  of  her  breast,  and 
laid  it  before  Miss  Brenthurst. 

"  Why,  this  is  a  considerable  distance  from 
here,  my  good  friend,"  said  the  lady;  "it  is  a 
day's  journey  in  the  cars." 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  he  told  me  so ;  but  he  said  he 
had  work  there  for  a  whole  year  to  come,'  and 
that  he  would  be  paid  for  it  all  at  the  end  of  six 
months  more.  He  borrowed  the  money  he  sent 
me,  you  see ;  and  that's  what  worried  me,  to 
think  after  the  struggle  he  made  that  it  should 
all  go,  and  we  not  get  to  him." 

Miss  Brenthurst  remained  thoughtful   a  mo- 


110     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

ment,  and  then  said,  "  Should  you  feci  justified 
in  risking  the  journey  to  him  now,  if  I  wrote  to 
him  to  meet  you  at  the  cars  ?" 

The  woman  clasped  her  hands  in  thankfulness. 

"  0,  if  you  would  only  do  that !  He  would  be 
glad  to  pay  the  car-man,  for  he  could  borrow  the 
money  again,  I  suppose,  if  he  has  not  got  it  yet." 

"  I  will  buy  you  the  tickets  and  see  you  safely 
started — and  now  I  will  attend  to  it  at  once. 
There  is  a  room  next  Bessie's,  on  the  upper  floor, 
where  you  and  your  children  can  stay  until  I 
have  made  the  necessary  inquiries." 

While  Miss  Brenthurst  spoke,  the  poor 
woman's  face  testified  its  joy  ;  and  when  the  kind 
lady  added,  that  she  could  not  proceed  in  the 
matter,  beyond  writing  to  her  husband,  until  she 
had  made  herself  assured  of  the  correctness  of 
the  whole  story,  by  asking  the  woman  with  whom 
she  had  lodged,  she  showed  such  eagerness  to 
have  it  investigated,  that  Miss  Brenthurst  had  no 
doubt  of  the  truth  of  her  narrative. 


LENNY'S  "  LITTLE  JOHNNY."  Ill 

The  letter  was  written  and  directed  to  John 
Murray,  in  care  of  Mr.  Price,  his  employer  ;  and 
Bessie  went  down  to  the  lodging-house,  to  see  the 
woman,  whom  Miss  Brenthurst  felt  rather  averse 
to  meeting,  when  she  remembered  that  she  had 
turned  out  a  sick  woman  with  two  children,  after 
securing  all  the  little  money  they  had.  Bessie 
came  back  in  an  hour  and  reported,  that  Mrs. 
Blaney,  as  the  woman  was  named,  kept  a  general 
shop,  and  let  lodgings  in  the  same  house ;  that 
she  seemed  a  hard  sort  of  woman,  but  had  no- 
thing ill  to  say  of  poor  Mrs.  Murray — "  she  was 
quiet  and  decent  enough,  and  would  have  paid  if 
she  could,  no  doubt,  but  if  she  has  to  let  all  the 
poor  decent  people  keep  her  rooms  without  pay- 
ing for  them,  she  would  soon  be  without  a  house 
over  her  own  head." 

Lenny  had  followed  the  baby  up  stairs,  and 
clung  to  it  with  this  newly  awakened  affection 
even  when  it  lay  asleep. 

"  Don't  let  it  go  away ;  let  us  keep  it,  please, 


112     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

dear  auntie,"  lie  said  earnestly ;  "  I  will  play  with 
it,  and  keep  it  quiet,  and  it  shall  sleep  in  my 
pretty  bed." 

His  aunt  explained  to  him  how  eager  its  poor 
papa  must  be  to  see  it,  and  how  wrong  it  would 
be  to  keep  it  from  him.  Very  reluctantly  he 
confessed  the  propriety  of  this  arrangement,  and 
seemed  to  feel  that  he  was  making  a  greater 
sacrifice  than  was  actually  necessary  in  giving 
up  his  little  favorite. 

Miss  Brenthurst  allowed  him  to  stay  with  it  a 
good  deal,  and  heard  from  Bessie  that  he  seemed 
perfectly  happy  when  he  could  hold  its  little 
feverish  hand  in  his. 

"I  am  afraid,  miss,  that  Mrs.  Murray  don't 
know  how  sick  the  baby  is,"  said  the  cook,  the 
day  that  the  little  family  were  to  start  on  their 
journey.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  very  ill,  and 
[  think  she  ought  to  have  a  doctor  about  it." 

"  Then  I  will  send  Simmons  for  one  immedi- 


LENNY'S  "LITTLE  JOHNNY."         113 

ately,"  said  her  mistress ;  "  perhaps  I  had  better 
do  so  without  speaking  to  her ;  she  may  think  it 
would  trouble  us,  and  so  refuse." 

Accordingly  the  family  physician  was  called, 
and  Miss  Brenthurst,  explaining  the  poor 
woman's  story,  led  him  into  the  room  where  she 
sate,  busily  arranging  some  necessary  articles 
her  kind  friend  had  provided  for  her  outfit. 

She  was  startled  when  she  saw  the  strange 
gentleman ;  but  Miss  Brenthurst  kindly  assured 
her,  saying  that  it  was  best  to  know  whether  the 
little  one  needed  any  medicine  on  the  way. 

The  good  doctor  looked  quite  gravely  at  the 
poor  baby,  and  asked  if  there  had  been  nothing 
done  for  it. 

"  I  did  give  him  a  little  of  the  bottle  Hattie 
had  when  she  was  sick,  but  he  seemed  worse 
after  it,  and  then  I  did  not  know  what  to  do," 
murmured  the  poor  mother  ;  "he  seemed  so  quiet 
when  we  got  into  this  comfortable  place,  and 
8 


114     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

wanted  to  sleep  so  much,  that  I  thought  he  would 
come  round  nicely  without  physic." 

The  doctor  said  very  little,  and  wrote  a  pre- 
scription, with  directions  for  the  child  to  be  kept 
warm,  and  not  exposed  to  the  air. 

She  was  so  set  on  going  that  he  did  not  offer 
any  objection,  and  when  he  saw  how  comfortably 
Johnny  was  to  be  wrapped  up  and  carried, 
seemed  to  think  it  would  do  no  harm. 

While  they  stood  there,  Lenny  stole  in,  and 
took  his  place  by  little  Johnny ;  but  the  doctor 
instantly  interposed : — 

"  Keep  your  little  fellow  out  of  the  room,  my 
dear  Miss  Brenthurst ;  there  is  no  necessity  for 
running  into  danger,  you  know,  and  he  may 
catch  the  fever." 

Miss  Brenthurst  changed  color. 

"What  fever,  doctor?"   she  said,  nastily. 

"  It  looks  like  the  scarlet  fever — though  as 
there  is  no  rash  yet,  I  can't  say  positively," 


LENNY'S  "  LITTLE  JOHNNY."         115 

said  the  physician ;   "  and  you  know  you  don't 
want  to  risk  it  for  the  boy." 

"  Certainly  not,"  cried  she ;  "  Bessie,  take  him 
away;"  and  it  being  a  clear  day  at  last,  Lenny 
was  sent  into  the  garden  to  see  Simmons  for  the 
first  time  since  his  visit  to  the  little  cottage. 


CHAPTER    NINTH. 

LENNY'S  FEVER. 

IMMONS  was  busy  at  the  bed  where  the 
seed  was  sown  that  was  to  spring  up  into 
the  word  Lenny ;  little  shoots  of  green 
had  already  begun  to  break  the  sod,  but 
nothing  like  the  pretty  sight  he  had  expected,  so 
the  boy  felt  disappointed. 

"Where  are  all  the  letters,  Simmons?"  he 
said,  dejectedly ;  "I  though  they  would  be  quite 
plain ;  this  isn't  a  nice  garden,  it  don't  grow 
right." 

The  gardener  rested  on  his  hoe-handle,  and 
looked  at  the  clouded  little  face  with  great 
interest. 

(116) 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  117 

"  When  you  planted  them  you  told  your  aunt 
that  you  knew  what  faith  meant :  while  you  wait 
for  them  to  grow  you  must  learn  what  patience 
means,  Master  Lenny." 

"  I  don't  want  to  learn  patience,  Simmons, 
because  patience  is  not  nice.  I  want  the  flowers 
to  grow  right  away,  and  I  want  to  keep  little 
Johnny  always.  I  will  give  Mrs.  Murray  the 
great  big  soldier  uncle  bought  me,  and  the  pretty 
wagon  and  rocking-horse  I  got  last  week,  if  she 
will  give  me  her  little  Johnny.  Don't  you  think 
she  ought  to  do  it?" 

Simmons  tried  to  look  serious. 

"  I  think  she  loves  her  baby  more  than  toys," 
he  said ;  "  and  it  would  make  her  very  sorry  to 
go  away  without  it." 

"  It  makes  me  sorry  to  be  sent  out  here  with- 
out the  baby ;  but  the  cross  doctor  said  I  must 
go,  and  I  am  very  angry  about  these  slow  flowers 
that  don't  hurry  and  grow  nicely." 

Then  Lenny  began  to  tell  the  story  of  Mrs. 


118     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Murray  and  her  children  in  his  childlike  way., 
and  ended  as  he  had  begun  by  deploring  the 
necessity  that  he  could  not  understand.  "  If  she 
would  only  leave  the  baby  she  could  go  right 
away,  but  I  do  want  her  to  leave  Johnny." 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  work  to  be  done  in 
the  garden  that  day  :  plenty  of  little  pots  were  to 
be  carried  from  the  conservatory,  and  the  flowers 
they  held  transplanted.  This  was  something 
Lenny  enjoyed  ;  and  to  get  his  mind  off  the  griev- 
ance of  losing  the  baby,  Simmons  invented  many 
pleasant  little  duties  for  him,  that  kept  him  em- 
ployed till  Bessie  came  to  take  him  in  to  tea. 

The  baby  was  gone,  and  Clement  Blye,  who 
was  conversing  with  his  aunt,  seemed  to  stop 
his  inquiry  midway  in  his  throat,  for  he  had  run 
towards  her  with  his  lips  apart,  but  stood  quite 
still  at  sight  of  him,  and  uttered  not  a  sound. 

So  decided  was  this  dislike  on  Lenny's  part 
that  he  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  to  sit  down 
to  tea,  and  even  when  he  had  so  far  overcome 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  119 

his  repugnance  as  to  take  a  seat  on  the  other 
side  of  the  table,  he  continued  to  edge  his  plate 
and  mug  further  away  from  the  gentleman,  and 
nearer  to  his  aunt. 

Miss  Brenthurst  took  no  notice  of  this  beha- 
vior— she  had  made  up  her  mind  that  she  was 
already  unjustly  prejudiced  against  the  young 
man,  and  she  would  not  allow  herself  to  be  fur- 
ther influenced  by  a  child's  whim.  Clement  was 
to  go  away  on  one  of  his  business  journeys  to 
the  West  on  the  next  day,  and  would  not  return 
for  a  month  or  two. 

"  You  must  come  and  see  us  more  frequently 
when  you  return,  Clement,"  she  said.  "I  feel 
that  we  should  try  and  make  our  home  more 
agreeable  to  you,  for  I  am  afraid  we  are  a  little 
selfish  in  our  quiet  lives — your  Cousin  John  and 
I.  Dear  little  Lenny  here  is  doing  us  both 
good  —  he  is  bringing  us  into  sympathy  with 
youth  and  youthful  feelings.     You  must  do  your 


120     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

share,   too,   by  letting   us   have   more   of  your 
society." 

She  smiled  kindly,  and  tried  to  express  the 
warmth  she  desired  to  feel  to  this  unpreposses- 
sing relative,  who  in  return  appeared  to  be  all 
gratitude.  It  would  give  him  more  pleasure 
than  he  could  tell  to  see  his  dear  cousins  fre- 
quently, and  indeed  he  had  long  wished  to  con- 
vince them  of  his  affectionate  interest,  though  he 
had  received  so  little  encouragement  as  to  fear 
that  he  might  be  misunderstood.  He  should  not 
have  that  dread  in  the  future,  he  continued — he 
should  be  all  confidence  now,  and  trusted  to  be 
with  them  on  his  return,  which  he  would  hasten 
on  that  account. 

"Yes,  Clement,"  said  Mr.  Brenthurst,  who 
had  not  spoken  before,  except  to  Lenny,  "  come 
and  see  us  frequently — look  on  our  place  as  your 
home,  and  make  it  so." 

Clement  appeared  overcome  with  gratitude. 

"  I  don'  1  think  I  could  convince  you  of  what 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  121 

a  cheerless  thing  a  homeless  life  is.  You  could 
not  realize  what  you  have  never  known ;  hut 
when  I  turn  my  face  towards  the  city  of  my 
birth,  there  is  no  one  to  watch  for  or  welcome  me 
when  I  reach  it ;  there  is  no  vacant  chair  to  be 
prayed  over,  no  familiar  form  to  be  missed  —  I 
come  and  go  without  love  or  kindness ;  so  you 
will  excuse  my  being  overcome  with  your  good- 
ness." 

He  turned  away,  and  seemed  to  yield  to  emo- 
tion ;  and  yet  Miss  Brenthurst  was  sorry  and 
ashamed  to  note,  despite  all  her  efforts  to  believe 
him  and  be  interested  in  his  protestations,  that 
the  same  covert  look  stole  out  and  rested  on 
Lenny — the  same  stealthy  glance,  that  boded  no. 
good  to  any  one,  and  betrayed  a  malicious 
nature. 

But  this  evening  he  no  longer  talked  of  low- 
born children  bringing  trouble  and  sorrow  on 
those  who  befriended  them :  he  praised  little 
Lenny   as    much    as    he    had    before   detracted 


122     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

from  him,  in  his  sly  way,  and  yet  it  was  for  no 
quality  that  the  boy  possessed,  apparently,  but 
for  dispositions  that  he  chose  to  bestow  on  him. 

"Cousin  Helen,"  he  said,  thoughtfully,  "do 
you  observe  what  a  deep  eye  your  little  charge 
has  ?  He  must  be  a  calculating  little  fellow, 
very  cunning  and  bright — disposed  to  be  secre- 
tive too,  I  should  say." 

Lenny  seemed  to  wince  under  this  mention  of 
him,  and  the  attention  directed  with  it. 

"  I  have  never  discovered  such  characteristics," 
said  Mr.  Brenthurst,  decidedly. 

"  No,  no,  I  should  suppose  not ;  if  he  is  the  lad 
I  take  him  for,  he  will  not  let  his  real  nature  be 
seen.  I  think  he  has  an  outside  case,  but  under  it 
you  will  find  the  true  temper  that  governs  him. 
A  bright  boy,  handsome  and  well-grown.  0  !  I 
should  say  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  under- 
stand him  thoroughly  without  deep  study." 

And  so  he  went  on  ;  whatever  else  the  subject 
might  ll  e,  Lenny  and  his  depth,  of  character  were 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  123 

sure  to  be  drawn  in ;  it  did  not  matter  how  the 
brother  and  sister — who  looked  on  the  theme  as 
too  prejudiced  to  be  argued  fairly  —  strove  to 
turn  the  current  of  the  conversation. 

Lenny  himself  slipped  away  just  as  soon  as  he 
dared,  from  the  table,  and  asked  Bessie  to  let 
him  go  to  bed,  where  he  fell  asleep,  crying  for 
poor  little  Johnny. 

The  next  day  was  stormy  again,  and  so  for 
many  days  damp  air  and  cloudy  skies  made  gar- 
den work  impracticable.  Lenny  sat  beside  his 
auntie,  and  read  his  lessons,  or  played  with  his 
nine-pins  and  rocking-horse ;  but  he  seemed 
weary  and  dispirited,  and  often  dropped  asleep 
over  his  work  or  play. 

Seeing  that  he  appeared  depressed  and  trou 
bled,  the  thoughtful  Miss  Brenthurst  supposed 
that  perhaps  he  might  have  discovered  in  Mrs. 
Murray's  baby  some  likeness  to  the  child  he  called 
little  Perry,  and  felt  deeply  sympathetic  for  the 
loss  that  renewed  itself  in  his  heart  at  the  sight  of 


124     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

another  little  child,  and,  taking  him  in  her  arms, 
tried  to  console  him.  To  her  own  mind,  there 
could  be  no  sorrow  or  trouble  that  a  Saviour's 
love  could  not  reach  and  steal  the  sting  from, 
and  she  knew  no  better  balm  for  the  wounds  of 
young  or  old.  She  whispered  to  him  that  the 
dear  Lord,  who  had  cared  for  him  and  sent  him 
among  friends  who  loved  and  cherished  him, 
would  some  day  bring  him  and  his  little-brother 
together.  She  told  him  that  he  must  learn  to 
trust  and  pray  to  God,  through  the  name  of 
Jesus,  and  then  cloudy  or  sunshiny  weather 
would  seem  alike  good,  as  part  of  the  work  of  the 
Great  Ruler,  who  orders  all  things  aright. 

Lenny's  head  lay  on  her  shoulder,  and  he 
seemed  to  listen  and  assent  to  all  she  said, 
except  about  his  little  brother. 

"  He  was  not  my  brother,"  he  murmured,  "  he 
was  Mrs.  Murray's  baby ;  but  I  loved  him." 

Seeing  that  he  did  not  understand  her  allusion 
to  "little  Perry,"  h  s  aunt  did  not  refer  again  to 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  125 

the  subject,  but  went  on  to  say  that  she  trusted 
her  clear  Lenny  loved  and  honored  the  Saviour, 
and  remembered  that  He  was  always  ready  to 
take  him  in  His  gracious  arms  and  bless  him. 

Lenny's  head  dropped  lower,  and  his  voice 
sounded  faint  and  weak. 

"  I  think,  auntie,  I  will  go  home  to  where 
Jesus  lives !  I  feel  strangely — my  eyes  are  all 
full  of  bright  lights,  and  I  can't  stand  on  my 
feet  —  it  seems  as  if  I  were  going  to  fly  far 
away,  through  a  place  full  of  stars !" 

Miss  Brenthurst  started  up  and  caught  the 
boy  as  he  was  falling  to  the  ground. 

His  eyes  were  wide  open,  but  quite  fixed ;  his 
mouth  quivered  convulsively,  and  his  limbs 
twitched. 

She  had  some  experience  among  sick  children 
in  the  homes  of  poverty,  and  she  knew  in  a  mo- 
ment that  this  was  a  spasm.  Naturally  timid, 
and  easily  alarmed,  her  great  love  for  the  child 
strengthened  her,  and  filled  her  with  desperate 


126     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

courage  to  do  all  she  could  to  save  him.  When 
Bessie  appeared  in  answer  to  her  call,  she  sent 
for  the  doctor ;  but  not  waiting  for  him  to  come, 
did  for  him  all  that  she  had  learned  to  be  useful 
in  such  cases. 

The  fit  yielded  to  her  remedies,  and  he  was 
lying  still  in  his  own  bed  when  the  physician 
came  in. 

"  Yes,  just  as  I  feared,"  said  he,  after  a  silent 
examination.  "  You  should  have  been  wiser, 
Miss  Brenthurst,  than  to  have  allowed  him  to 
cling  to  that  sick  child ;  he  has  caught  the  fever, 
and  now  we  must  do  what  we  can  for  him,  and 
lose  no  time." 

As  she  argued  from  this  and  her  own  observa- 
tion that  poor  Lenny  was  very  ill,  Miss  Brent- 
hurst devoted  herself  to  nursing  him  with  all 
her  powers.  She  would  not  give  way  to  self- 
reproach,  lest  it  should  lessen  her  abilities  to  act. 
Instead  of  regretting,  she  prayed  ceaselessly, 
and  implored  God's  aid  and  direction   in  what 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  127 

she  did,  striving  hard  to  rely  implicitly  on  Him, 
and  say,  "Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done." 

Every  one  in  the  household  discovered  how 
dear  the  little  boy  had  become  to  them,  now  they 
saw  that  he  was  likely  to  be  lost  to  their  love 
and  tenderness  in  this  world. 

Mr.  Brenthurst  lingered  beside  the  little  bed, 
and  even  came  up  during  business  hours  to  see 
how  he  fared. 

Simmons  brought  anxious  messages  from  home, 
and  little  Dick  White  asked  Bessie  whenever  he 
caught  sight  of  her,  "  How  the  nice  little  gentle- 
man was  now?" 

But  for  many  days  Lenny  neither  knew  nor 
appreciated  what  was  being  done  to  baffle  disease 
and  rescue  his  young  life  from  the  jaws  of  death. 
He  tossed  his  restless  head  from  side  to  side,  and 
moaned  constantly,  as  if  his  scattered  senses 
were  still  conscious  of  great  pain.  Sometimes 
he  shivered,  although  his  head  burned  in  fever, 
an  i  sometimes  he  panted  for  breath,  as  if  over- 


128     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

come  with  heat.  At  last  the  rash,  that  for  a 
long  time  withstood  their  efforts,  was  brought 
out  on  the  surface  of  his  body,  and  then  they 
began  to  hope  again  ;  although  Lenny  gave  them 
but  little  encouragement,  for  his  mind  wandered 
worse  than  ever,  and  he  talked  unceasingly  of 
things  entirely  apart  from  his  life  at  the  Brent- 
hursts. 

He  spoke  of  his  mother  now,  and  seemed  to 
see  her  constantly  beside  him. 

"  Don't  cry,  mamma  !"  he  would  exclaim,  with 
tender  sympathy  in  his  tone — "dear  mamma, 
don't  cry !  Naughty  papa  is  all  gone,  and 
Lenny  will  bolt  the  gate  to  keep  him  out." 

"  You  remember,  dear  John,"  said  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  to  her  brother — "you  remember  that  we 
remarked  to  each  other  the  singularity  of  his 
having  no  recollection  of  his  father ;  now  it 
comes  back  to  his  poor  little  wandering  mind, 
and  you  see  he  must  have  been  a  bad,  harsh 
man." 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  129 

"lam  afraid  so,"  said  her  brother,  with  inter- 
est ;  and  they  stood  silently  watching  the  eager 
face  and  gleaming  eyes  of  the  sick  boy,  that  did 
not  show  the  least  glance  of  recognition  for 
them. 

"  You  said  you  would  take  me  home,  mamma," 
he  continued,  and  his  voice  became  pleading,  as 
he  went  on  to  entreat :  "  0,  do  take  me  home, 
and  then  you  won't -have  to  cry  so  much — you 
won't  be  afraid  of  papa,  for  they  won't  let  him 
hurt  you  at  home.  Hush  !"  he  cried,  starting  up 
in  bed,  "  there  he  comes ;  let  us  run  and  hide — 
he  kicks  the  doors  and  breaks  the  chairs,  and  is 
so  angry  always." 

"  What  a  dreadful  life  for  my  poor  dear  inno- 
cent boy  !"  murmured  Miss  Brenthurst.  "  I  am 
really  glad  now  that  his  memory  seemed  to  refuse 
to  go  back  to  that  time." 

"  Yes,  I  trust,  if  God  spares  him  to  recover, 
he  will  lose  all  recollection  of  that  wicked  father's 


130     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

harshness  with  the  disordered  state  of  mind  that 
has  brought  it  back  to  him." 

Both  brother  and  sister  were  deeply  attached 
to  the  boy  ;  the  peril  in  which  he  had  been 
convinced  them  of  the  strong  hold  he  had  upon 
their  feelings.  Devoutly  they  prayed  that  his 
life  might  be  spared,  and  that  they  might  have 
the  wisdom  given  them  to  make  it  a  useful  and 
good  one,  by  guiding  his  young  steps  in  the  ways 
of  righteousness  and  peace. 

At  length  a  day  came  when  it  seemed  that 
God,  in  His  infinite  love,  had  hearkened  to  their 
entreaty.  Lenny  looked  up  into  their  joyous 
faces  with  quiet  glances  of  recognition,  and,  in  a 
very  weak  tone,  called  them  all  by  name.  The 
danger  was  passed,  the  doctor  said,  and  all  he 
needed  now  was  careful  nursing  and  nourishing 
food — and  every  heart  in  the  household  rejoiced 
at  the  happy  tidings. 

It  was  weeks  since  he  had  known  any  of  them, 
or  seemed  to  be   conscious  of  aught  connected 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  151 

with  the  present,  except  its  suffering ;  but  wher- 
ever his  mind  had  wandered,  it  came  back,  with  a 
beautiful  realization  of  God's  mercy  and  a  thank- 
ful sense  of  his  own  indebtedness  to  the  love 
around  him,  that  was  delightful  to  contemplate. 

Affliction  has  its  uses  to  every  mind,  and 
unless  its  message  is  received  into  the  chastened 
heart,  a  great  opportunity  will  be  lost. 

Lenny  was  a  very  young  scholar  at  this  great 
school,  but  he  had  learned  its  lesson  with  wisdom 
beyond  his  years. 

His  first  words  were  grateful  expressions  of 
love : — 

"  Dear  auntie,  how  kind  you  are  to  such  a 
troublesome  boy  as  I  am !  0,  what  would  be- 
come of  me,  if  Jesus  had  not  taken  me  in  His 
loving  arms  and  held  me  while  I  was  so  sick !" 

"  And  how  much  you  must  love  Him  for  spar- 
ing  you,  dear  Lenny  !  We  have  all  been  praying 
that  He  might  restore  you,  and  you  must  help  us 
to  thank  Him  for  hearing  our  prayers,  my  love." 


132     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"  Yes,  dear  auntie,  I  do  thank  Him  in  my 
thoughts,  even  when  I  don't  say  it  in  words.  1 
thank  Him  all  the  time.  See !  dear  Bessie  is 
crying — she  is  so  kind  that  she  cries  glad  tears 
for  me — and  cook,  and  Mary,  and  Simmons,  and 
all.  I'll  have  to  be  very  good  when  I  get  strong, 
and  I  am  going  to  try." 

Miss  Brenthurst  turned  away  her  head,  and 
could  not  speak ;  it  made  her  heart  fill  full  of 
love  and  joy  to  see  the  little  orphan's  thankful 
piety. 

When  Mr.  Brenthurst  came  and  stood  beside 
the  little  bed,  Lenny  laughed  pleasantly. 

"  0  !  uncle,  I  am  going  to  grow  up  and  be  a 
good  man,  like  you,"  he  said.  "  God  heard 
auntie  pray  for  me,  and  He  let  me  live,  and 
when  I  am  old  enough  I  will  find  some  lonely 
little  boy  and  take  care  of  him,  because  you  are 
so  good  to  me." 

"My  dear  boy,  if  you  knew  how  much  we 
loved  you,  you  would  understand  how  a  small  act 


LENNY'S  FEVER.  133 

sometimes  brings  a  great  reward  ;  and  I  trust  that 
through  the  grace  of  God  you,  may  live  to  do 
many  noble  deeds,  and  use  the  life  He  has  spared 
so  mercifully,  for  His  glory  and  honor." 


CHAPTER   TENTH. 

LENNY'S  RECOVERY. 

)T  took  a  very  long  time  for  Lenny  to  be- 
come strong  and  robust  again.  He  was 
soon  able  to  sit  up ;  but  a  harassing  cough 
remained,  and  close  attention  and  nursing 
were  necessary  to  prevent  it  spreading  into  in- 
flammation. The  warm  summer  had  come,  and 
yet  the  garden's  bloom  was  lost  to  him,  except 
in  the  pretty  bouquets  that  Simmons  sent  in 
every  day  to  adorn  his  table  with. 

"  I  do  want  to  see  the  flowers  grow  so  much, 
auntie  !  Will  I  not  soon  be  well  enough  to  run 
out  in  the  air?"  he  said,  anxiously. 

"  Have  patience  a  little  longer,  Lenny,  and 

(134) 


LENNY'S  RECOVERY.  135 

then  you  shall  go  into  the  country  and  play  in 
the  orchards  and  fish  in  the  brooks.  Won't  that 
be  delightful?" 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  responded  the  boy;  but  he 
hesitated  and  looked  uncomfortable,  changing 
color  and  fidgeting  in  his  cushioned  chair. 

Miss  Brenthurst  looked  up  in  surprise,  and 
followed  the  direction  of  his  eyes,  till  they  rested 
on  Clement  Blye  in  the  doorway,  and  she  disco- 
vered the  cause  of  his  uneasiness. 

This  young  gentleman  had  returned  in  the  first 
week  of  Lenny's  recovery,  and  had  done  justice 
to  his  cousins'  invitation  by  constantly  visiting 
them,  and  particularly  trying  to  win  Lenny's 
good  will. 

He  brought  him  trifling  gifts  from  time  to 
time,  and  insisted  on  sitting  down  and  talking  to 
him,  in  spite  of  Lenny's  undisguised  repugnance. 

Miss  Brenthurst  had  tried  to  reason  this  odd 
dislike  out  of  her  little  boy's  mind  ;  but  it  seemed 
to  be  a  fixed  sentiment,  which  he  could  not  ex- 


136     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

plain  to  himself,  but  which  was  stronger  than  his 
own  will  or  reason. 

"My  dear  Lenny,"  she  had  said,  "  it  is  not  a 
good  proof  of  our  love  for  the  Saviour,  when  we 
cherish  an  unreasonable  dislike  to  any  of  His 
children.  You  know  we  are  all  members  of  the 
one  great  family,  and  God  is  our  Father  —  we 
must  show  our  tenderness  for  Him  first  in  our 
love  of  those  He  has  made  our  brothers  and 
sisters." 

"  I  will  try  to  be  good,"  was  Lenny's  invaria- 
ble reply;  "but  please  don't  let  him  come  up 
here.  I  don't  hate  him  —  I  would  not  be  so 
wicked — but  I  want  to  get  away  from  him  very 
much:  he  makes  me  so  frightened  —  don't  let 
him  come,  please." 

Left  to  study  her  own  pleasure  alone,  she 
would  have  yielded  to  this  entreaty,  but  the  con- 
scientious lady  accused  her  prejudices  of  aiding 
tc  bring  about  this  unpleasant  state  of  feeling, 
and  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  get  over  the  objections 


LENNY'S  RECOVERY.  137 

of  Lenny  and  hers  in  the  same  way  by  accustom- 
ing both  to  the  society  of  Clement  Blye,  and 
making  every  effort  to  develop  all  the  good  she 
could  discover  in  him. 

And  so  it  happened  that  she  turned  to  him 
with  a  kindly  smile,  and  gave  him  a  seat  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  shrinking  Lenny.  He 
began  to  talk  about  the  fine  weather,  and  begged 
to  know  when  she  would  let  him  drive  their  little 
sick  boy  out  for  the  air.  Before  she  could  reply, 
Lenny  caught  at  her  dress  and  whispered,  "  No, 
no,  0  please  say  no  !"  so  she  turned  the  subject, 
saying  that  the  doctor  had  not  given  them  per- 
mission yet ;  they  must  have  patience  for  a  little 
time  longer,  and  then  she  asked  what  he  thought 
of  their  garden,  proposing  that  he  should  take 
a  turn  through  it,  and  give  Simmons  a  little 
encouragement. 

"  For  he  really  has  not  had  the  reward  of  his 
labors  so  far ;  he  had  looked  forward  to  Lenny's 


138     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

pleasure  so  unselfishly  that  it  is  a  pity  to  disap- 
point him." 

"  It  looks  very  luxuriant  from  the  portico," 
said  Mr.  Blye.  "  Shall  I  gather  you  a  nosegay 
of  your  favorite  flowers,  Cousin  Helen  ?" 

He  pointed  to  the  vase  standing  near  her  filled 
with  June  roses,  and  some  pretty  white  blossoms 
that  contrasted  well  with  their  rich  coloring. 
She  smiled,  and  said  they  were  Lenny's  favorites, 
and  Simmons  having  discovered  how  much  he 
liked  them,  had  a  fresh  bunch  every  morning 
waiting  for  him  when  he  awoke. 

Clement  Blye  might  make  the  effort,  but  he 
could  not  conceal  how  entirely  uncomfortable  he 
felt  at  every  word  of  praise  or  love  bestowed  on 
the  little  orphan — the  sharp,  malignant  glance, 
that  flew  like  an  arrow  from  under  his  heavy 
brows,  betrayed  his  evil  thoughts,  and  gave  a 
warning  to  others  to  beware  of  trusting  such  a 
nature.  But  Miss  Brenthurst  had  determined  to 
stifle  all  suspicion,  and  although  she  could  not  be 


LENNY'S  RECOVERY.  139 

unconscious  of  her  young  relative's  stealthy  man- 
ner, she  would  not  allow  her  thoughts  to  accuse 
him. 

When  he  was  gone  into  the  garden,  she  began 
to  tell  Lenny  of  a  sad  circumstance  that  she  had 
known  for  some  time,  but  which,  owing  to  the 
weak  state  of  the  boy's  health,  she  had  hitherto 
thought  it  best  to  conceal  from  him. 

"  Do  you  remember  Mrs.  Murray,  Lenny  ? 
Ah !  yes,  of  course  you  do,  and  dear  little 
Johnny,  too.  Well,  Lenny,  she  sent  me  a  long 
grateful  letter  written  by  the  daughter  of  her 
husband's  employer,  that  has  given  us  at  once 
pain  and  pleasure.  It  makes  your  uncle  and  me 
glad  to  find  people  who  are  so  anxious  to  do 
right,  that  they  are  over-thankful  for  any  little 
aid  they  receive ;  and  Mrs.  Murray  and  her  hus- 
band are  of  this  sort.  Lenny,  you  know  how 
sick  that  dear  baby  was ;  well,  my  love,  it  is  quite 
well  now,  and  will  never  know  what  illness  or 
pain  or  sorrow  means ;   it  is  one  of  the  blessed 


140     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

babies  the  Saviour  has  taken  home  into  his  arms. 
Little  Johnny  is  in  heaven." 

Lenny  drew  a  long  gasping  breath,  and  the 
tears  gathered  in  his  eyes,  but  did  not  fall. 

"Johnny  is  in  heaven,"  he  repeated;  "dear 
little  Johnny  is  a  little  angel  now ;  but  Johnny's 
poor  mamma  is  very,  very  sad;"  and  as  the  pic- 
ture of  the  sorrowful  mother  seemed  to  rise  before 
him,  the  tears  burst  forth  and  fell  in  showers. 

"  Yes,  she  is  very  sorry ;  her  heart  is  grieved 
and  lonely ;  but  she  trusts  in  God,  who  can  heal 
all  her  afflictions,  and  wipe  away  her  tears. 
Little  Johnny  is  blest,  and  she  can  only  cry  over 
her  own  loneliness — not  for  him." 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  so  sorry  for  her — so  sorry  for 
her,"  he  repeated,  and  seemed  lost  in  thought. 

Miss  Brenthurst  went  on  to  say,  that  Mrs. 
Murray's  husband  had  met  her,  and  taken  her  to 
lodgings ;  but  through  the  kindness  of  his  em- 
ployer he  was  to  have  a,  little  place  of  his  own 
soon,  and  Hattie  was  to  be  sent  to  school  as  soon 


LENNY' S  RECO  VER  Y.  141 

as  she  grew  strong  enough.  They  had  sent  back 
the  money  that  was  advanced  to  them,  with  their 
grateful  thanks,  and  Mrs.  Murray  had  said  the 
remembrance  of  the  goodness  they  had  shown  her 
would  never  forsake  her  while  she  lived.  She 
was  thankful  in  the  midst  of  her  affliction  for 
God's  mercy  to  them  all,  and  could  kiss  the  rod 
that  smote  her,  trusting  still  in  the  goodness  of 
the  Lord. 

Lenny  listened  to  her  words,  and  his  thought- 
ful eyes  were  downcast ;  at  last  he  looked  up, 
and  with  a  heightening  color,  said,  quickly  : — 

"  Auntie,  why  did  God  take  Johnny  and  leave 
me?" 

"  My  dear  boy,  we  cannot  fathom  Divine  Wis- 
dom ;  we  can  only  hope  that  we  may  prove  worthy 
of  the  love  and  mercy  we  receive."  She  stooped 
down  and  put  her  arm  about  the  slender  little 
figure  he  had  become  through  illness,  whispering 
softly : — 

"  0,  may  his  gracious  wisdom  influence  you, 


142     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

my  love,  to  become  his  true  and  devoted  servant ; 
to  hold  the  life  he  has  given  you  wholly  devoted 
to  his  service  in  the  good  of  your  fellow-crea- 
tures !" 

Lenny  put  his  little  thin  arms  round  her  neck 
and  kissed  her,  saying  : — 

"  I  want  to  be  good,  dear  auntie,  and  I  am 
going  to  try  hard.  I  do  not  care  now  if  Mr. 
Clement  comes  into  this  room,  for  I'll  think  of 
God  and  not  look  at  him." 

This  was  the  nearest  approach  to  amicable  feel- 
ing she  could  hope  for  between  them ;  so,  fain  to 
be  contented,  Miss  Brenthurst  turned  to  admire 
the  flowers  her  cousin  just  then  brought  in  from 
the  garden.  They  were  of  many  kinds  and  very 
beautiful,  but  there  was  not  one  rose  among  them 
all. 

The  next  morning,  Miss  Brenthurst  took  an 
early  opportunity  of  walking  in  the  garden.  She 
wanted  to  consult  Simmons  about  some  plants, 
and  ask  after  his  wife,  whom  she  was  kindly  in- 


LENNY'S  RECOVERY.  143 

terested  in.  She  found  him  standing  disconso- 
lately beside  a  small  bed  in  the  centre  of  the 
garden. 

"I'm  sorely  put  out,  miss,"  he  said,  raising 
his  hat  as  she  approached.  "  You  know  Master 
Lenny  had  his  name  written  here  in  the  spring, 
and  it  had  come  up  so  beautiful  that  I  took 
a  great  pride  in  it.  Only  yesterday  I  looked 
at  it,  thinking  how  proud  he  would  be  when 
the  doctor  gave  him  leave  to  come  out,  and  I 
showed  it  to  him.  But,  miss,  would  you  believe 
it,  Mr.  Blye  was  looking  about  for  flowers  yes- 
terday, and  he  got  in  here,  where  there  was 
really  none  of  the  sort  he  wanted — and  I  told 
him  so,  warning  him  at  the  same  time  that  the 
bed  belonged  to  Master  Lenny — and  he  ground 
his  boot-heels  into  the  roots,  tearing  it  up  on  all 
sides,  and  spoiling  the  whole  name.  Just  look 
at  it,  miss!" 

Indeed  it  was  a  scene  of  devastation  on  a  small 
scale,  and  it  must  have  cost  the  young  gentleman 


144     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

some  trouble  to  perform  the  mischief  he  had 
done.  Miss  Brenthurst  was  deeply  troubled, 
and  for  a  moment  or  two  did  not  trust  herself 
to  speak.     Then  she  said  : — 

"  It  was  getting  late  when  Mr.  Blye  was  out 
here — he  could  not  see  very  well,  I  suppose — it 
is  a  pity,  a  great  pity." 

She  took  a  turn  round  the  walks,  and,  coming 
back  again,  with  her  usual  cheerful  kindly  man- 
ner gave  her  directions,  sent  her  messages,  re- 
ported about  Lenny's  state,  and,  going  into  the 
house,  paused  a  moment  to  say  : — 

"  There  is  a  good,  frank-faced  boy,  who  says 
his  name  is  Dick  White,  and  that  you  are  a 
neighbor  of  his  mother's  ;  he  stopped  Bessie  often 
to  ask  about  Lenny  during  his  worst  illness,  and 
to-day  he  gave  her  a  beautiful  red  apple  to  take 
to  him,  as  he  passed  the  hall-door.  He  must  be 
a  kindly  lad,  and  if  you  have  no  objection  to 
take  a  message  to  his  mother,  I  would  like  to 
have  him  come  and  see  our  little  boy,  if  she  does 


LENNY' S  RE  CO  VER  Y.  145 

not  fear  to  trust  him  near  Lenny  after  his 
fever." 

Simmons  was  highly  pleased  to  find  that  his 
little  friend  was  likely  to  gain  his  mistress's 
favor.  In  a  few  words  he  related  what  he  knew 
of  Mrs.  White,  and  commended  the  energy  and 
industry  of  her  dutiful  son. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  such  a  pleasant  re- 
commendation with  the  boy.  I  was  at  first  dis- 
posed to  like  him,  and  what  you  tell  me  makes 
me  respect  him  sincerely." 

Saying  this,  Miss  Brenthurst  left  Simmons 
greatly  delighted,  for  he  was  a  warm-hearted  old 
man,  and,  in  his  humble  way,  did  all  the  good 
he  could,  rejoicing  with  single-mindedness  over 
every  good  word  or  kind  act  bestowed  on  others. 


10 


CHAPTER    ELEVENTH. 

LENNY'S  VISITORS. 

^ENNY  grew  stronger  by  degrees.  To  be 
sure  it  was  slow  work  ;  but  he  learned  to 
be  patient,  and,  as  he  was  already  grate- 
ful and  loving,  he  proved  himself  a  very 
noble  boy,  and  hourly  became  dearer  to  his 
adopted  relatives,  who  watched  over  him  with 
growing  affection.  During  the  days  of  his  con- 
finement to  the  nursery,  he  received  two  visits, 
full  of  pleasure  to  himself  and  his  genial  auntie. 
The  first  of  these  came  on  a  lovely,  balmy 
day,  when  he  was  able  to  sit  by  the  window  and 
look  out  on  Simmons  in  the  garden  below.  He 
was  so  busy  watching  the  old  man's  movements, 

(146) 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  147 

and  making  motions  to  him  to  lift  up  pots  from 
the  conservatory  for  him  to  see,  that  he  did  not 
hear  a  cheerful,  pleasant  voice  at  his  side,  re- 
peating "Lenny,  Lenny,  dear,"  till  he  suddenly 
glanced  round  and  saw  Jenny  Garland  standing 
smiling  at  his  side.  She  was  a  bright,  good- 
humored  amiable  girl,  with  a  kind  word  for 
everybody,  and  a  ready,  obliging  manner  that 
was  sure  to  make  friends.  She  had  grown  a 
good  deal  taller,  and  was  quite  improved,  since 
he  saw  her  last,  for  her  aunt  had  got  an  excellent 
situation  where  she  was  treated  with  great  kind- 
ness, and  Jenny  was  sent  to  school  and  being 
prepared  for  teaching,  at  the  good  gentleman's 
expense. 

Lenny's  affectionate  heart  rejoiced  to  see  her, 
and  he  had  so  much  to  relate  about  his  sickness, 
and  the  love  and  devotion  he  had  received,  that 
Jenny's  hearty  sympathy  with  it  all  made  him 
quite  at  home  and  happy  in  her  society.  She 
had  come  to  stay  the  day  with  him,  and  the  kind 


148     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

gentleman  who  had  brought  her  in,  would  call 
for  her  in  the  evening. 

She  must  tell  him  all  about  her  beautiful 
country  home,  which  she  immediately  began  to 
do :  You  had  to  ride  through  a  pleasant  road, 
that  led  beside  green  meadows,  and  along  the 
banks  of  a  wide  river,  till  you  reached  a  pretty 
little  village,  with  neat  little  cottages  and  a  beau- 
tiful old  church,  all  covered  with  ivy  ;  and  a  great 
humming  factory,  that  kept  up  its  sharp  murmur 
all  the  time ;  then  you  came  to  a  long  green 
lane,  bordered  with  tall  poplars  on  either  side, 
and  as  you  went  on  you  saw  a  great  old  house, 
with  an  arched  and  carved  hall-door,  and  wings 
at  each  end,  like  an  old  castle  in  a  picture. 
There  was  a  beautiful  lawn,  like  smooth  green 
velvet,  in  front,  and  a  lovely  flower-garden  at 
the  back,  where  you  could  sit  in  latticed  bowers, 
or  walk  beside  the  ornamental  beds  and  gather 
nosegays. 

Mr.   Graham,  the  gentleman  with  whom  her 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  14lJ 

aunt  lived,  was  very  old,  and  sometimes  he 
would  have  to  sit  for  days  in  a  great  chair,  with 
his  foot  in  a  rest,  because  he  suffered  from  gout ; 
but  he  was  always  good  and  kind,  and  seemed 
happiest  when  he  gave  others  pleasure. 

"I  would  like  to  go  there,  auntie,"  cried  Len- 
ny; "  0  !  I  wish  he  knew  me,  and  would  let  me 
go  to  see  him." 

Miss  Brenthurst  smiled  pleasantly. 

"I  am  glad  to  tell  you,  that  you  will  have 
your  wish,  for  Mr.  Graham  kindly  begged  me  to 
let  you  go  to  '  Greenslope,'  as  he  calls  his  beauti- 
ful home ;  and  I  have  promised  that  you  shall 
pay  him  a  visit,  as  soon  as  you  are  able  to  leave 
home." 

This  was  delight  enough,  to  fill  the  whole  day 
with  happy  anticipations ;  and  Jenny's  society 
seemed  better  than  medicine,  in  its  effect  on  the 
appetite  and  spirits  of  the  sick  boy.  She  told 
him  about  the  tame  robins,  who  came  and  ate 
from  her  hand,  and  about  the  birds'  nests  in  the 


150     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

great  elm  tree,  that  she  could  almost  touch 
from  her  bed-room  window. 

Old  Roman,  Mr.  Graham's  great  Newfound- 
land dog,  was  another  interesting  subject  of  an' 
ecdote,  and  when  Lenny  heard  of  all  the  saga- 
cious things  he  did,  and  how  noble  and  trusty  he 
was,  he  could  scarcely  wait  till  the  day  of  his 
visit  came,  so  anxious  was  he  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  him. 

Then  Jenny,  partly  addressing  herself  to  Miss 
Brenthurst,  related  how  much  good  the  benevo- 
lence of  Mr.  Graham  accomplished  in  the  village 
near  which  he  lived,  and  how  many  of  the  poor 
and  helpless  there,  had  cause  to  bless  his  kindness 
and  generosity. 

There  used  to  be  a  company  carrying  on  a  large 
factory  there,  but  owing  to  the  track  of  the  rail- 
road being  laid  in  a  town  five  miles  east  of  it, 
they  took  a  new  building  there,  and  left  the  old 
place  entirely.  A  great  many  new  hands  were 
hired  in  the  other  town,  and  the  old  ones  had  to 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  151 

find  new  employment.  This  would  have  been 
the  cause  of  great  wretchedness  and  want,  as 
winter  was  at  hand,  and  the  people  without  mean3 
of  gaining  a  living  if  it  had  not.  been  for  Mr. 
Graham's  goodness.  He  made  himself  ac- 
quainted with  the  abilities  of  the  principal  men 
thus  rendered  helpless,  and  finding  out  two  or 
three  of  the  most  energetic  and  trustworthy,  ad- 
vanced capital  to  commence  manufacturing  in  the 
old  place  on  a  small  scale,  lending  additional  aid 
whenever  he  saw  it  was  required,  until  the  ven- 
ture became  a  thriving  concern,  and  they  had 
been  able  to  give  up  using  the  heavy  wagons  that 
hauled  their  goods  to  and  from  the  railroad  town, 
and  had  laid  down  rails  of  their  own,  and  actually 
ran  a  freight  train. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  flourishing  villages  in 
the  state  now,  every  one  says,  and  there  is  not 
a  tavern  in  it,"  said  Jenny,  triumphantly.  "We 
have  a  Sunday  school  in  each  of  the  churches, 
and  Mr.  Graham  has  helped  the  young  men  to 


152     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

start  a  library  and  reading-room.  Every  quar- 
terly pay-day  he  gives  them  a  little  festival,  and 
then  we  have  such  nice  singing  and  pleasant 
speeches.  0,  I'm  sure  you  would  like  it,  Miss 
Brenthurst,  for  my  aunt  says  it  is  just  the  kind 
of  good  work  that  you  and  Mr.  Brenthurst 
enjoy." 

All  this  interested  Lenny  more  than  so  young 
a  boy  is  Supposed  to  be  by  such  things.  Miss 
Brenthurst  watched  his  eager  face  with  hopeful 
pride.  She  knew  her  brother  and  herself  could 
not  expect  to  live  long  enough  to  spend  all  their 
money,  and  she  looked  forward  to  the  time  when 
it  should  fall  into  wise  and  pious  hands,  trained 
to  dispense  its  uses  as  a  steward  of  God's  bounty  ; 
for  she  had  faith  to  believe  that  such  a  one  her 
favorite  boy  would  become. 

When  he  dropped  asleep  that  night  in  his  little 
bed  an  hour  after  Jenny's  departure,  he  was  still 
murmuring  his  plans  for  pleasure  in  the  coming 
trip  to  Greenslope,  and  mingling  his  praises  of 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  153 

Mr.  Graham's  goodness  with  his  desire  to  see 
Roman  and  feed  Jenny's  little  birds. 

All  she  had  told  him  gave  him  ample  subjects 
for  conversation  during  the  coming  week,  and 
while  it  was  yet  fresh  in  his  mind,  Dick  White 
presented  himself,  shyly  at  first  and  quite 
abashed  in  the  presence  of  Miss  Brenthurst,  but 
looking  like  the  nice  manly  boy  he  was  in  his 
spotless  summer  suit  of  gray  linen.  He  brought 
a  little  basket  of  delicious  peaches  from  "  Uncle 
Nep's"  orchard,  and  repeated  the  old  sailor's 
kind  compliments,  and  an  invitation  to  visit  his 
little  "  Dry  Dock" — as  he  called  his  country 
home. 

"  0,  yes !  I  want  to  go  there,  too,"  cried 
Lenny.  "  I  don't  know  which  I  would  like  best, 
but  I  think  Uncle  Nep's  house  must  be  a  little 
the  nicest,  for  it  looks  like  a  boat,  and  Mr.  Gra- 
ham's only  looks  like  a  castle." 

"  Simmons  Avas  talking  to  me  about  it  yester- 
day, Lenny,"  said  his  aunt;    "and  I  promised 


1M     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

that  you  should  go  on  Thursday,  if  the  weather 
was  bright,  and  you  continued  well." 

"0,  won't  I  keep  well!"  he  cried,  enthusias- 
tically. "  I'll  be  so  well  that  you  won't  believe 
that  I  ever  was  sick.  You  are  very  kind,  Dick, 
to  bring  me  these  nice  peaches.  How  is  Mrs. 
Simmons  and  the  chickens  and  the  cow — does  she 
behave  well  still  ?  and  do  you  ever  roll  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons's  chair  for  her  out  on  the  porch?" 

Dick  by  degrees  got  over  his  timidity  in  the 
presence  of  strangers,  and  in  such  a  splendid 
house,  sufficiently  to  answer  all  Lenny's  ques- 
tions, and  offer  some  interesting  information  on 
his  own  account  concerning  a  very  large  Maltese 
cat  that  a  gentleman  had  given  him  two  years 
ago,  and  whose  habits  and  manners  were  matters 
of  much  pride  to  her  young  owner. 

"  Mamma  and  I  are  all  there  is  left  together 
now,  and  we  would  be  quite  lonely  if  we  did  not 
have  Penelope  for  company.  She  is  such  a  kind, 
sensible  cat,  that  when   I   tell  her  she  must  be 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  155 

agreeable  to  mamma  while  I  am  gone,  she  winka 
and  purrs  just  as  good  an  answer  as  if  she  could 
talk.  She  meets  me  every  day  at  the  end  of 
Mr.  Simmons's  garden  when  I  come  home,  and 
rubs  against  me  sometimes  till  I  nearly  tumble 
down,  for  she  is  very  big  and  strong." 

This  favorite  theme  of  Dick's  was  equally  in- 
teresting to  Lenny,  who  listened  to  all  her  pecu- 
liarities of  character  with  the  greatest  delight, 
until  Dick  was  forced  to  confess  that  she  had 
done  a  very  wicked  act,  though  he  hoped  that  she 
was  sincerely  sorry  for  it  now.  When  this  misde- 
meanor was  narrated,  it  proved  to  be  of  such  a 
flagrant  character,  that  for  a  little  while  Lenny 
withdrew  his  interest  in  an  animal  guilty  of  such 
atrocities.  She  had  actually  killed  and  eaten 
three  little  yellow  chickens  belonging  to  Speckle, 
Mrs.  Simmons's  favorite  hen,  and  had  received 
such  injuries  from  the  enraged  hen-mother  that 
for  a  time  they  thought  she  would  go  blind,  as  a 
reward  of  her  evil  deeds.     She  had  never  done 


156     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

such  an  act  since — to  be  sure  there  were  no  little 
chickens  now  for  her  to  eat,  but  Dick  felt  very 
sure  that  she  had  seen  the  error  of  her  ways  and 
was  very  sorry,  for  she  sneaked  off  whenever 
Speckle  flew  over  into  their  yard,  and  seemed  to 
desire  to  get  out  of  her  way,  as  if  she  found  her 
accusing  glance  too  much  for  her  tender  con- 
science. 

Miss  Brenthurst  was  sorry  to  disturb  Dick's 
faith  in  his  favorite,  but  she  warned  him  not  to 
trust  too  far  to  appearance,  for  she  had  a  proof 
of  a  cat's  slyness  she  never  could  forget.  Then 
she  told  them  the  story  of  a  pretty  canary  which 
was  given  her  when  a  child,  and  sang  so  sweetly 
that  every  one  in  the  house  loved  to  hear  it. 
She  also  had  a  kitten,  a  pretty  little  white  thing, 
that  looked  like  a  ball  of  snow  as  it  lay  rolled  up 
before  the  fire  on  a  crimson  rug.  Daisy  was  her 
name,  and  the  little  yellow  bird  was  called  Prim 
rose.  Miss  Brenthurst's  mamma  had  told  her 
that  it  was  a  cat's  nature  to  kill  and  eat  birds, 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  157 

and  so  warned  her  to  keep  them  apart ;  but  some 
one  had  said  that  it  was  possible  to  educate  that 
ferocious  trait  out  of  them,  and  she  was  eager  to 
follow  the  plan.  She  began  when  both  bird  and 
cat  were  very  young,  and  accustomed  them  to  be 
constantly  together.  At  last  the  bird  grew  so 
fond  of  Pussy  that  he  would  fly  out  of  his  cage 
and  perch  on  her  head  as  she  lay  dozing  before 
the  grate,  and  she  would  receive  that  proof  of 
his  confidence  and  attachment  with  a  wink  and  a 
purr.  Of  course  they  were  always  watched,  but 
one  unlucky  day  when  the  kitten  had  grown 
into  a  cat,  and  the  bird  was  all  confidence  and 
familiarity,  their  mistress  left  the  room  with  the 
cage-door  open,  and  when  she  returned  sometime 
after,  a  few  scattered  feathers  were  all  that  was 
left  of  Primrose,  while  Daisy  sate  before  the  fire 
winking  and  licking  her  jaws. 

This  tragic  story  greatly  impressed  Lenny 
and  Dick — both  considered  Daisy  a  very  wicked 
creature,  and  lamented  Primrose's  untimely  fate. 


158     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Penelope's  misdeeds  were  amiable  foibles  in  com- 
parison, Dick  thought,  for  she  had  never  been 
taught  to  respect  the  lives  of  young  chickens, 
and,  seeing  them  wandering  about  in  the  ^ard, 
might  have  naturally  enough  mistaken  them  for 
mice. 

"Yes,"  said  Lenny,  glad  to  discover  any  pal- 
liation for  Puss's  conduct ;  "  perhaps  that  was 
the  reason,  and  it's  quite  right  for  them  to  catch 
mice,  you  know.  Cook  says  she  wishes  we  had 
a  good  mouser  for  the  lower  store-room." 

This  amiable  view  of  Penelope's  character 
being  agreed  upon,  Dick  went  on  to  tell  about  a 
pretty  blue  ribbon  he  was  keeping  for  her  birth- 
day, and  a  shining  little  bell  that  was  to  be  fas- 
tened to  it.  He  thought  it  was  probable  that  a 
piece  of  chop  might  please  her  better  than  any 
personal  ornament,  and  she  was  to  have  that,  too, 
he  said ;  but  he  was  sure  she  would  feel  proud 
of  her  necklace  when  she  got  used  to  it. 

When  the  subject  of  pets  was  exhausted,  Miss 


LENNY'S  VISITORS.  159 

Brenthurst  produced  a  large  portfolio  full  of 
beautiful  pictures,  and,  spreading  them  out  on 
the  table  for  them  to  examine,  sate  down  beside 
them  with  her  work  so  as  to  be  able  to  answer 
all  their  questions  on  the  subject; 

Thus  the  afternoon  wore  away  ver  y  pleasantly, 
and  tea  was  brought  up  for  the  two  young  peo- 
ple, and  served  on  a  little  table,  to  their  great 
gratification  and  enjoyment. 


CHAPTEK    TWELFTH 

LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP— THE  SAILOR'S 
STORY. 

)T  seemed  to  Lenny  that  Thursday  would 
never  arrive,  it  was  so  earnestly  longed 
for,  and  so  exultingly  counted  on  by  him. 
Simmons  had  a  holiday,  and  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  had  given  him  the  use  of  a  roomy  old 
carriage  in  which  his  wife  could  ride  without 
inconvenience,  and  in  which  there  would  be 
ample  room  to  stow  away  half-a-dozen  boys 
like  Dick  and  Lenny  beside. 

All  day  on  Wednesday  Lenny  ran  about  to 
try  his  strength;  and,  well  wrapped  up,  even 
went  out  into  the  garden,  which  was  in  all  its 

(160) 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      161 

summer  luxuriance  and  glory.  It  seemed  like  a 
new  life  once  more  to  enjoy  the  freedom  of  his 
limbs,  and  roam  at  will  in  the  pleasant  summer 
weather. 

All  the  household  were  rejoiced  to  greet  him 
below  stairs ;  and  cook  showed  him  what  nice 
preparations  she  was  making  for  the  next  day's 
picnic  to  Uncle  Nep's  Dry  Dock.  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  was  sending  out  provisions  for  a  garrison 
it  would  seem,  and  Lenny  wondered  who  would 
eat  the  great  boiled  ham  and  roast  fowls,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  loaves  of  cake,  and  baskets  of 
jumbles  and  sweetmeats. 

"  Do  you  know  the — the  Uncle  Nep,  cook  ?" 
asked  Lenny,  who  felt  curious  to  hear  what  sort 
of  person  he  was  about  to  become  acquainted 
with. 

Cook  laughed,  as  she  always  did  when  he  said 
anything  childlike. 

"  His  real  name  is  Captain  Bird,  and  he  used 

to  sail  a  ship  on  the  ocean  for  thirty  long  years. 
11 


162     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

He  used  to  call  himself  Old  Neptune  just  because 
he  was  fond  of  the  sea,  and  he  told  all  the  child- 
ren to  call  him  Uncle  Nep  because  he  was  fond 
of  them,  too.  He  is  a  nice  good-humored  old 
man,  but  his  voice  is  rather  hoarse  and  loud ;  he 
always  calls  on  Miss  Brenthurst  when  he  comes 
to  town,  and  you  can  hear  him  all  over  the  house 
when  he  talks." 

"I  shall  like  him  very  much,"  said  Lenny, 
decidedly.  "  I  wish  to-morrow  would  come 
soon." 

It  came  at  last,  and  strange  to  say,  Bessie  had 
to  awaken  him ;  for,  being  tired  by  his  unusual 
exercise  of  the  day  before,  he  slept  very  soundly 
as  soon  as  he  got  to  sleep,  which  was  not  very 
early,  as  he  lay  awake  anticipating  the  pleasure 
to  come. 

As  soon  as  he  was  dressed  and  had  break- 
fasted, Simmons  came  in  to  say  that  the  carriage 
was  waiting  at  the  garden-gate. 

Cook   brought  out   the   great  basket  closely 


LENNF'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      163 

Dackcd  with  dainties,  and  Bessie  carried  the 
heavy  shawl  that  Simmons  was  to  wrap  round 
her  young  charge  in  the  evening.  Then  Lenny 
ran  out  to  take  a  peep,  and  ran  back  again  to 
say  Dick  was  there  with  his  mamma  and  Mrs. 
Simmons,  too,  and  clapped  his  hands,  and  could 
scarcely  wait  to  kiss  his  aunty  good-bye,  he  was 
so  eager  to  join  them. 

At  last  they  were  all  fairly  started,  and  the 
quiet  old  horses  that  jogged  on  steadily  could 
not  keep  time  to  the  ardent  beating  of  Dick's  and 
Lenny's  hearts.  Simmons  had  put  them  on  the 
front  seat  beside  him,  and  Mrs.  White  and  Mrs. 
Simmons  sate  behind  enjoying  the  sight  of  their 
delight  quite  as  much  as  the  beautiful  prospect 
spread  before  them,  as  they  began  to  leave  the 
city  behind,  and  get  into  the  quiet  country  road. 

Uncle  Nep's  house  was  situated  on  the  bend 
of  a  broad  stream,  that  might  have  been  a  river 
if  the  people  who  gave  it  its  name  had  been  am- 
bitious of  the   distinction.      It  was  called   the 


164     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Paw-no-kee,  and  had  an  Indian  story  connected 
with  it,  which  Simmons  told  them  as  they  first 
came  in  sight  of  its  rippling  waters  shining  in  the 
light  of  the  morning  sun. 

An  old  chief  had  lived  upon  its  banks,  and 
ruled  a  portion  of  a  powerful  tribe  there.  His 
son,  who  was  brave  and  warlike  in  his  tastes,  led 
the  remainder  out  to  battle  with  his  enemies, 
which  class  of  humanity  seemed  to  be  very 
numerous,  since  he  was  ready  to  look  upon  any 
one  in  that  light,  from  a  conflict  with  whom  he 
could  win  any  renown.  While  he  was  away 
making  war,  an  aged  white  man  came  to  his 
father's  tent,  and,  sick  and  weary,  besought 
shelter  and  refreshment.  The  old  chieftain 
gladly  offered  both,  and,  listening  to  the  aged 
wanderer,  learned  in  return  the  story  of  a  uni- 
versal Saviour,  and  received  the  inestimable 
riches  of  gospel  grace,  he  and  all  his  household. 
Then  the  waters  of  the  Paw-no-kee  reflected  a 
beautiful  scene  one  autumn  day  at  sunset.     The 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       165 

white-haired  missionary  stood  upon  its  bank, 
and,  raising  his  solemn  hands  to  heaven,  besought 
God's  blessing  and  eternal  light  to  shine  into  the 
hearts  of  these  children  of  the  forest,  who  reve- 
rently bowed  in  homage  before  his  holy  name. 
He  implored  the  loving  Father  of  all  to  receive 
them  into  the  communion  and  fellowship  of 
Christian  grace ;  and,  dipping  up  the  sparkling 
waters  of  the  quiet  stream,  signed  and  sealed 
them,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  as  humble 
believers  in  the  Christian  faith. 

That  was  more  than  three  hundred  years  ago, 
Simmons  said,  and  the  missionary  and  his  dis- 
ciples were  mingled  with  the  dust ;  but  the  waters 
of  the  Paw-no-kee  were  bright  and  dashing  as 
ever,  and  tumbled  over  moss-grown  rocks  that 
made  quite  a  little  cataract,  with  all  the  glee  of 
childhood. 

The  road  wound  up  a  bank,  leaving  the  water 
in  a  little  glen  beneath ;  tall  trees  clustered  on 
the  brow  of  the  embankment,  and  looking  down 


166     AbVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

the  side  seemed  steep,  and  the  descent  dangerous, 
while  the  stream  narrowed  in  the  distance  till  it 
seemed  a  broad  silver  ribbon  with  edges  of  erne- 
raid  velvet. 

Green  fields  full  of  peaceful  cows,  and  valleys 
where  sheep  were  grazing,  lay  beside  their  way. 
Sometimes  they  passed  stately  country-seats,  with 
grand  lawns  and  ornamental  walks,  and  some- 
times they  came  to  tiny  roadside  cottages  with 
children  clustered  around  the  door,  staring  at 
them  with  bright  inquisitive  eyes.  At  last,  after 
an  hour  or  two's  drive,  they  turned  into  a  little 
lane  very  still  and  shady,  and  as  they  rode  along 
they  came  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  sound  of 
water  rippling  over  stones.  Then  they  saw  a 
queer  little  house  painted  blue  and  white,  and 
looking  more  like  a  canal-boat  than  a  cottage. 
Around  it  was  a  neat  white  paling,  and  it  seemed 
to  be  covered  with  flags,  which  were  flying  gayly 
in  the  wind,  but  in  fact,  there  was  only  a  good- 
sized  American  flag,  and  a  blue  and  white  Union 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      167 

Jack.  Surrounding  the  door  was  an  exceedingly 
tasteful  and  pretty  arbor,  with  seats  on  either 
side,  and  quite  large  enough  to  accommodate  a 
good-sized  party.  It  was  curiously  ornamented 
inside  with  corals  and  shells,  so  that  it  seemed 
partly  a  grotto,  and  partly  a  bower.  At  the 
entrance  to  it  stood  an  old  man  with  a  white 
head,  a  red  face  with  plenty  of  smiling  welcome 
in  it,  and  dressed  in  a  suit  of  sailor's  clothes,  the 
glazed  hat  belonging  to  which,  he  carried  under 
his  arm  and  seldom  put  on. 

"  Welcome,  little  masters,  welcome  to  old 
Uncle  Nep's  Dry  Dock  !  And  this  is  Miss  Brent- 
hurst's  handsome  little  pet,  is  it  ?  Well,  my  boy, 
grow  up  to  deserve  that  good  lady's  kindness,  and 
you  can't  do  better  than  that.  Dick,  my  man,  the 
ducks  are  all  quacking  for  joy  to  see  you ;  jump 
out  and  let  me  lend  a  hand  to  your  good  mother ; 
proud  to  see  you,  ma'am,  and  sister  Margery,  too. 
You  are  all  just  as  welcome  as  I  know  how  to 
make  you.      Simmons,  you    always    bring    good 


163     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

luck,  it  seems.  What,  all  those  stores  from  Miss 
Brenthurst !  It's  like  her — she's  always  trying 
to  do  some  one  a  kind  turn,  and  we  will  enjoy 
her  favors  by-and-by.  The  kettle  shall  go  on  at 
once,  and  we'll  have  a  snack  after  your  ride,  and 
then  you  shall  take  a  stroll  and  see  how  we  get 
on." 

All  the  while  he  talked,  the  rosy-faced  old 
sailor  kept  smiling  cordially  and  bobbing  around 
from  one  to  another,  patting  the  boys  on  the 
head  and  shaking  hands  with  the  grown  people, 
protesting  his  pleasure  in  seeing  them  in  a  dozen 
ways  besides  speaking.  Lenny  was  already  so 
prepossessed  in  his  favor,  that  when  Uncle  Nep 
turned  to  him  a  second  time,  saying : — 

"  Well,  my  young  master,  I  am  truly  glad  to 
see  you  for  Miss  Brenthurst's  sake,  and  I  think 
I  won't  find  it  hard  to  like  you  for  your  own, 
if  I  know  a  nice  boy's  face  when  I  see  it;" 
Lenny  answered  in  his  frank  and  innocent 
way : — 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       169 

"  I  am  going  to  like  you  too.  You  are  a  very 
nice  gentleman,  to  have  such  a  beautiful  place 
and  invite  me  to  come  and  see  it.  I  told  auntie 
I  would  be  good,  and  I  mean  to  try." 

"  I  have  not  a  doubt  of  it ;  and  now,  since  you 
have  been  sick,  I  understand,  it  will  be  better  for 
you  to  have  a  little  lunch  before  Dick  takes  you 
in  town  and  shows  off  the  place.  Just  sit  down 
here  in  the  arbor,  and  we'll  have  it  set  out  ship- 
shape in  no  time." 

So  the  old  sailor  bustled  into  his  cottage,  and 
all  the  party,  after  taking  off  their  things,  sat 
down  in  the  arbor,  and  admired  the  order  and 
cheerful  brightness  of  everything  within  doors 
and  without. 

A  good-humored  young  woman,  whom  they  all 
seemed  to  know,  came  out  and  laid  the  cloth  in 
the  arbor.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  neighbor, 
who  always  assisted  Uncle  Nep  when  he  had 
company.     Her  name  was  Sally,  and  she  seemed 


170     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

to  enjoy  her  part  of  the  business  as  much  as  any 
of  them. 

When  a  cup  of  tea  for  the  ladies  and  plenty 
of  good  sweet  milk  for  the  children  were  served, 
together  with  nice  white  bread  and  jam  and  fresh 
fruit,  Dick  and  Lenny  did  not  take  long  to 
satisfy  their  appetites,  but  hurried  off  as  soon  as 
they  received  permission.  First,  Dick  proposed 
to  visit  his  favorites,  the  ducks ;  and  took  Lenny 
away  through  the  garden,  where  he  would  gladly 
have  lingered  to  admire  the  cabbage-heads  and 
bean-stalks,  till  they  came  to  a  little  pond  where 
there  was  a  great  squattering  and  quacking,  and 
a  whole  colony  of  ducks  were  going  in  to  swim. 

"  0,  see  the  tiny  little  ones  !"  cried  Lenny,  in 
great  excitement.  "  I  am  afraid  they  will  be 
drowned — they  are  too  little,  Dick,  oh  !  I  know 
they  are  too  little  to  swim  all  alone !" 

But  the  ducklings  soon  convinced  him  that  his 
fears  were  quite  groundless — they  tumbled  into 
the   water,    and    shook   their   little   feathers   out 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       171 

proudly  as  they  sailed  consequentially  beside 
their  fond  duck-mothers. 

When  the  sunlight  shone  on  the  heads  and 
necks  of  the  ducks  it  made  their  beautiful  colors 
shine  like  burnished  gold,  and-  Lenny  thought 
they  were  quite  conscious  of  the  effect  of  theii 
appearance  from  the  triumphant  way  in  which 
they  carried  their  bills,  and  quacked  and  shook 
their  heads  with  affected  dignity,  seeming  to  say 
to  each  other  in  their  duck  tongue  : — 

"  See  those  two  little  boys !  they  are  quite 
charmed  with  the  figure  we  make,  and  really  I 
don't  wonder  at  it,  for  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  we  are  very  elegant  birds." 

"  There  are  some  splendid  turkeys  up  in  that 
little  yard  there,"  said  Dick,  when  they  had 
stood  admiring  the  ducks  quite  a  time  ;  "  if  you 
are  not  afraid  of  turkeys  we  will  go  and  see 
them." 

"  Afraid  of  turkeys  !"  cried  Lenny,  laughing ; 


172     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"  who  would  be  afraid  of  a  turkey !  Cook 
roasts  them  for  dinner,  and  they  taste  so  good." 

"But  these  are  not  roast  turkeys,"  said  Dick, 
warningly  ;  "  you  needn't  laugh,  Lenny,  they  are 
really  fierce  if  you  are  not  used  to  them." 

But  Lenny  did  laugh,  and  ran  up  to  show  his 
courage,  and  opened  the  little  gate  that  closed 
the  poultry  yard. 

Out  they  came  strutting  and  gobbling  like  tall 
grenadiers,  and  so  impressive  did  they  look,  and 
so  intimidating  was  their  demeanor  as  they  came 
threateningly  towards  him,  that  with  a  cry  of 
alarm,  Lenny  turned  and  fled  to  his  friend  for 
refuge. 

Dick  caught  up  a  withered  branch  in  his  hand, 
and  with  it  shoo-ed  them  back  into  their  own 
domain ;  but  not  until  the  gate  was  closed  upon 
them,  and  he  could  stand  and  contemplate  them 
from  a  safe  distance,  did  Lenny  feel  reassured. 

"  I  do  not  like  raw  turkeys,"  he  said,  confiden- 
tially ;   "  they  look  worse  than  eagles.     Auntie 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       173 

has  a  stuffed  eagle  that  is  not  half  as  wicked  or 
angry  as  they  are." 

To  restore  his  good  humor,  Dick  took  him 
across  such  a  pretty  little  bridge  that  Uncle  Nep 
himself  had  made  and  ornamented.  A  tiny 
creek  that  carried  the  rain  from  the  hillside,  and 
in  winter  fed  the  streams  into  which  it  emptied 
its  clear  waters  with  many  little  springs  from  the 
rocky  glens  around,  grew  quite  broad  at  the  turn 
of  the  path  below  here,  and  Dick  said  Uncle  Nep 
would  let  them  have  out  his  boat  by-and-by ;  but 
now  they  had  better  go  up  into  the  orchard,  and 
so  they  went. 

It  was  quite  rising  ground,  and  the  apples 
rolled  away  down  into  a  little  glade  below  when 
the  wind  shook  the  boughs.  But  it  was  not 
quite  late  enough  for  all  of  them  to  be  ripe ;  the 
great  hard  round  winter  pippins  kept  tight  hold 
of  the  parent  stem  yet,  and  turned  their  full 
cheeks  towards  the  sun  that  had  already  streaked 
them  with  ripening  crimson — while  golden  rus- 


174     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

sets  seemed  to  hide  coyly  behind  the  leaves,  as  if 
pleading  to  be  left  to  grow  more  mellow  and 
juicy. 

"  0,  what  a  lovely  place  !"  cried  Lenny. 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  seen  an 
orchard,  and  he  added  thoughtfully  : — 

"  How  rich  Uncle  Nep  must  be  to  own  so  much 
fruit !  What  can  he  do  with  it  all  if  he  don't 
keep  a  store?" 

Dick  told  him  that  he  sold  some  of  it  to 
dealers,  and  gave  away  to  persons  who  had  no 
fruit  of  their  own  a  good  deal  more ;  and  then  he 
showed  Lenny  what  he  considered  a  great  sight 
himself,  a  regular  Spanish  hammock  swinging 
between  two  low-boughed  trees.  Lenny  was  very 
curious  about  it,  and  to  satisfy  him  concerning 
its  uses,  Dick  pulled  off  his  shoes  and  tumbled 
into  its  netty  embrace.  Then  he  set  it  swinging, 
and  folding  his  arms  and  closing  his  eyes,  made 
Lenny  laugh  with  his  luxurious  enjoyment  of  the 
motion. 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       175 

"  Uncle  Nep  had  brought  it  all  the  way  from 
Mexico,"  he  said ;  "  and  the  Spanish  people  there 
used  them  to  take  afternoon  naps  in  under  shady 
trees  in  their  gardens.  They  were  not  like 
sailor's  hammocks,  which  are  made  of  coarse 
sailcloth  and  hung  on  hooks — these  were  for 
pleasure,  and  the  Spanish  people  were  very  fond 
of  lying  in  the  shade,  and  idly  dreaming  away 
their  time  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  he  had  heard." 

Then  Lenny  climbed  up  into  it,  and  had  a 
swing,  and  enjoyed  it  so  very  much  that  Dick 
said  he  must  have  a  little  Spanish  laziness  in 
him,  he  was  afraid. 

Laughing  over  the  new  pleasure  he  had  just 
discovered,  Lenny  ran  after  his  guide,  who 
proved  himself  an  excellent  one  by  showing  him 
every  nook  and  corner  of  Uncle  Nep's  little 
estate  that  would  be  likely  to  interest  a  young 
visitor,  and  making  him  acquainted  with  all  the 
animals  on  it,  from  Uncle  Nep's  solemn  old  mare 
with  a  long  gray  face  and  round  figure,  down  to 


176     ADVENTURES  OE  LFFTLE  LENNY. 

a  box  of  pretty  white  mice  in  the  barn.  It  took 
quite  a  while  to  make  the  rounds  of  all  these 
attractions,  and  Sally's  voice  was  heard  calling 
them  to  dinner.  It  was  Uncle  Nep's  custom  to 
entertain  his  visitors  in  the  arbor,  his  house  being 
small  and  scarcely  commodious  enough  to  seat 
them  comfortably.  Here,  then,  they  found  the 
table  spread,  and  a  nice  smoking  repast  awaiting 
the  good  appetites  they  had  found  in  their  morn- 
ing ramble.  Uncle  Nep  said  grace  in  a  solemn, 
earnest  manner,  for  the  good  old  sailor  never  did 
anything  without  meaning  it  thoroughly ;  and 
although  he  was  not  a  very  gentle  or  polished 
person,  he  was  a  sincere  and  devoted  Christian, 
and  never  failed  to  bear  his  simple  testimony  to 
the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God. 

When  they  sat  enjoying  their  nice  dessert  of 
fruit  and  cakes,  Uncle  Nep  asked  the  boys  how 
they  had  spent  their  morning,  and  what  they 
thought  of  the  place,  encouraging  them  t<?  talk 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.       177 

freely ;  for,  as  lie  said,  lie  loved  boys,  and  owed 
them  a  great  debt  which  lie  could  never  repay. 

"And  I  must  tell  you  all  about  it,"  he  con- 
tinued ;  "I  always  tell  my  little  friends  the  story 
of  my  Lucky  Cruise,  as  I  call  it,  because  I  want 
them  to  know  what  good  reason  I  have. to  love 
thorn  so  much. 

"  You  know  I  was  a  sailor  many,  many  years. 
When  sister  Margery  and  I  were  children,  our 
parents  died.  A  kind  lady  took  her  home,  and 
I  was  sent  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith, 
when  I  should  be  old  enough,  and  to  help 
about  the  forge  meantime,  and  make  myself 
useful.  The  man  who  took  charge  of  me  was 
harsh  and  cruel,  and  believed  in  a  rope's  end 
instead  of  reason  or  kind  words.  I  suppose  I 
was  troublesome  and  thoughtless,  and  perhaps  I 
did  not  learn  as  quickly  as  I  should ;  but  my 
master  beat  and  swore  at  me  so  that  I  could  not 
bear  my  life  with  him,  and  at  last  I  ran  away 
and  went  to  sea.  I  had  always  thought  I  should 
12 


178     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

like  to  be  a  sailor,  and  I  had  no  other  choice.  I 
found,  as  every  one  must  find,  that  life  on  board 
a  ship  is  anything  but  easy ;  still  I  was  prepared 
for  rough  times,  and  being  naturally  pretty  spry 
in  my  motions,  I  soon  learned  to  do  my  duty, 
and  imitated  the  manners  of  those  in  authority 
over  me. 

"  The  second  mate  with  whom  I  sailed  was  a 
good-natured  young  man ;  but  he  drank  and 
swore  terribly,  and  seemed  to  consider  it  part  of 
his  business  to  swallow  rum  and  utter  frightfully 
wicked  oaths,  although  at  heart  he  was  neither 
harsh  nor  cruel.  In  consequence  of  this,  he 
became  a  most  dangerous  example  to  me,  because 
I  liked  him  and  soon  grew  used  to  his  ways, 
though  I  remember  they  quite  shocked  me  at 
first.  He  took  a  fancy  to  me  too,  and  we  sailed 
together  for  four  years.  He  often  grew  furious 
in  his  drink,  and  then  no  one  could  stand  by  him 
without  feeling  the  effects  of  his  intoxicated 
rage ;  but  generally  we  got  on  well  enough,  and 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      179 

I  was  an  apt  pupil,  soon  learning  to  swear  and 
drink  after  his  pattern. 

"  One  dark  night  it  was  his  watch  on  deck, 
and  he  had  been  more  than  usually  bad  all  day. 
The  captain  had  been  talking  to  him  about  it, 
and  told  him  it  was  their  last  voyage  together, 
for  Sam  was  getting  too  hard  a  case  for  him. 

"  That  was  his  name — Sam  Harris — and  he 
had  been  a  Sunday-school  boy  once,  as  he  told 
me ;  and  sometimes,  when  he  would  get  over  a 
spree,  he  would  be  very  down-hearted  for  a  few 
hours,  and  declare  that  he  had  half  a  mind  to 
turn  over  a  new  leaf.  0  !  boys,  if  I  haol  only 
been  able  to  do  for  him  what  a  boy  afterwards 
did'  for  me,  what  would  I  not  give  to  remember 
it  now  !  But  I  was  a  poor  heathen  myself,  going 
the  downward  road  as  fast  as.  I  could,  and  never 
pausing  to  think  where  it  led  me.  All  that  day 
he  had  been  drinking,  and  towards  night  he  grew 
gloomy  and  full  of  horror.  He  walked  up  and 
down,   muttering   and  shuddering,  and  when    I 


180     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

went  near  hirn  to  try  and  cheer  him  up  a  bit,  he 
struck  at  me,  with  a  fearful  oath.  Poor  Sam ! 
he  was  reaping  as  he  had  sown,  and  the  terrible 
suffering  that  clouded  his  reason  was  brought  on 
by  years  of  rum-drinking  and  dissipation  of  all 
kinds. 

"  Suddenly,  while  we  were  going  through  the 
water  quietly,  and  everything  about  us  was  still 
and  peaceful,  the  unhappy  man  made  a  quick 
spring,  and  went  overboard  down  into  where  the 
stars  were  shining  in  the  dark  waves — and  every 
man  of  us  stood  as  if  we  were  turned  to  stone, 
and  for  a  moment  made  no  effort  to  save  him. 
The  man  at  the  wheel  sung  out,  and  the  captain 
came  running  on  deck — a  rope  was  thrown,  and 
everybody  seemed  all  alive  in  an  instant.  I 
don't  know  how  I  came  to  do  it ;  but  after  the 
first  shock  I  felt  I  must  save  him  or  die  in  doing 
it,  and  I  threw  myself  over  too,  although  they 
tried  to  hold  me  back. 

"  It  all  seems  like  a  dream,  a  dreadful  dream, 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      181 

when  I  look  back  on  it  now.  I  can  feel  the  cold 
water  rising  chillingly  over  me,  as  I  sank  to  rise 
quickly,  and  then  I  can  see  what  I  could  not 
close  my  eyes  upon  for  many  a  long  day,  and 
that  was  poor  Sam's  face,  as  he  rose  for  the  last 
time,  just  beside  me,  and  fighting  free  of  the 
effort  I  made  to  save  him,  went  down  never  to 
come  up  any  more. 

"  They  drew  me  up  on  deck  when  I  found 
there  was  no  hope  of  even  finding  the  body,  that 
was  no  doubt  floating  far  away  in  our  wake. 
When  I  stood  upon  the  deck  again,  I  shook  and 
trembled  as  if  I  had  the  ague,  and  my  heart  was 
sick  within  me,  for  I  liked  poor  Sam,  and 
although  I  could  not  hear  the  voice  of  warning 
in  his  dreadful  fate,  I  lamented  his  loss  sincerely. 
And  so  I  drank  more  liquor,  to  keep  up  my 
spirits  and  chase  away  the  blues,  until  I  stood  a 
fair  chance  of  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
man  I  mourned. 

"  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  sail  again 


182     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

in  that  ship ;  so  I  changed  to  a  packet  that  car- 
ried passengers,  and  became  second  mate  myself. 
Here  I  went  on  badly  enough,  for  I  wanted  all 
the  while  to  get  rid  of  that  awful-looking  face, 
that  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  waves  and  haunt 
me  with  poor  Sam  Harris's  last  look. 

"  On  board  the  ship  there  was  a  woman  and 
her  son,  who  were  going  to  join  the  husband  and 
father  in  a  new  country.  She  was  delicate  and 
pale-looking,  and  the  boy  told  me  that  they  had 
had  a  bad  fever  before  they  started ;  but  they  were 
the  most  patient  and  grateful  creatures  I  ever 
saw ;  and  they  used  to  sit  side  by  side,  reading 
or  talking  to  each  other  so  affectionately,  that  I, 
being  a  rough  fellow,  not  often  perfectly  sober, 
used  to  think  I  might  crack  my  jokes  at  their 
expense,  by  calling  them  absurd  names  and  ridi- 
culing their  piety,  for  the  Bible  was  almost 
always  the  book  they  read,  and  they  certainly 
were  devoted  Christians. 

"  If  either  of  them  had  resented  this,  no  doubt 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      183 

it  would  have  stopped ;  but  as  they  only  seemed 
to  shrink  from  observation,  and  clung  more 
closely  together,  the  rest  of  the  boys  took  it  up, 
and  made  them  quite  uncomfortable  whenever 
they  were  on  deck.  We  were  short  of  men,  and 
had  some  new  ones  who  were  pretty  hard  to 
teach. 

"  I  was  trying  to  send  one  of  them  aloft,  and 
he  gave  me  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  misunder- 
standing what  I  said ;  so  at  length  I  got  angry 
and  went  up  myself,  quite  in  a  passion.  My 
hold  was  not  a  good  one,  and  I  went  to  reach 
over  for  a  marling-spike,  when  I  lost  my  balance 
and  fell  headlong  on  the  deck  below.  I  was 
pretty  well  stunned ;  but  at  first  I  could  not  feel 
my  own  injuries,  the  marling-spike  dropping 
from  my  hand  had  hit  the  boy's  mother  on  the 
head,  and  they  were  carrying  her  into  the  cabin, 
insensible.  I  was  heartily  sorry,  and  although 
I  do  not  believe  I  was  quite  sober  when  I  went 
up,  I  was  perfectly  so  then — my  own  hurt  was 


184     ADVENTURES  OF  LIT1LE  LENNY. 

nothing,   I  thought,   but  I  was   sorely  grieved 
about  the  poor  woman. 

"She  was  bad  enough,  and  they  kept  her 
quiet  and  did  all  that  could  be  done ;  but  a 
brain  fever  came  on,  and  for  many  days  she  lay 
between  life  and  death.  All  the  time  I  never 
tasted  liquor,  and  I  went  about  with  a  load  of 
anxiety  on  my  soul  I  did  not  know  how  to  re- 
lieve—  for  you  must  know,  dear  boys,  that  I 
never  yet  had  learned  to  pray.  At  last  the 
bruises  I  tried  not  to  feel,  became  too  much  for 
my  endurance.  I  could  not  walk  or  stand,  my 
limbs  swelled,  and  I  was  obliged  to  lie  down  and 
give  myself  into  the  doctor's  hands.  He  called 
it  erysipelas,  and  it  was  a  dreadful  disease;  for 
a  time  I  seemed  to  battle  with  a  double  torment — 
pain  of  mind  and  body.  I  lay  struggling  with 
my  own  sufferings,  and  listening  for  any  sign  of 
how  the  poor  woman's  illness  would  terminate. 
I  suppose  the  doctor  must  have  seen  the  trouble 
I  felt,  and  may  be  he  mentioned  it,  for  one  even- 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      185 

ing  I  saw  the  boy  standing  by  my  berth,  with 
his  mild  pleasant  eyes  fixed  on  me  forgivingly 
and  kindly. 

"  'Mother  is  better,  sir,'  he  said,  mildly,  '  and 
she  wants  to  know  if  you  will  let  me  do  some- 
thing for  you.  I  am  quite  used  to  nursing,  and 
will  not  fret  or  bother  you,  if  you  will  let  me 
stay  with  you  a  little  while.' 

"  I  could  only  answer  him  with  a  gasp  of  re- 
lief and  thankfulness,  and,  waiting  for  no  more, 
he  set  to  work  and  put  my  room  in  neat  order, 
with  the  tidy  cheerfulness  of  a  girl.  I  can't  tell 
you  all  he  did,  dear  boys — it  seemed  as  if  he 
brought  a  new  life  and  spirit  with  him,  and  I  no 
longer  groped  in  blind  despair.  He  was  a  shy 
and  modest  boy,  but  he  knew  his  duty,  and  did 
it ;  he  was  a  Christian,  and  had  a  Christian's 
hope,  which  he  could  not  keep  to  himself  like  a 
miser's  treasure.  The  unsearchable  riches  of 
God's  love  grow  by  division — they  are  the  only 
treasures  that  you  can  increase  by  giving  away. 


186     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

and  as  he  himself  had  freely  received  it,  he 
thought  it  right  to  impart  it  as  freely.  And 
yet,  dear  boy?.,  this  lad  taught  me  but  little  in 
words — it  was  his  patient,  unselfish  love,  his  for- 
giveness, his  faith,  his  energy  and  hopeful  spirit, 
raised  me  up  so  that  I  could  see  and  believe. 
There  is  no  bitterer  draught  ever  brewed  than 
the  cup  of  repentance,  and  I  was  loath  to  receive 
and  drain  it  to  its  dregs,  dear  boys,  and  yet, 
unless  we  repent  and  believe,  we  cannot  be  saved. 
I  had  been  a  great  sinner,  and  this  lad,  who  left 
his  own  mother's  sick-bed  to  attend  on  mine, 
pointed  me  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  is  the  only 
one  who  can  wash  away  sins,  in  every  act  of  his 
life,  and  led  me  right  to  my  Saviour's  feet.  I 
saw  plainly  that  the  wretched  feeling  I  was  try- 
ing to  drown  by  drinking  rum  was  my  own  con- 
science pleading  with  me,  and  that  if  I  did  not 
listen  to  its  voice,  it  would  soon  be  silenced, 
and  I  lost  to  grace  or  mercy.  0,  how  many 
times  I  have  thanked  God  for  that  sickness,  and 


LENNY'S  VISIT  TO  UNCLE  NEP.      187 

how  many  times  I  have  blessed  His  name  for 
giving  me  the  power  to  humble  myself  and  rise 
out  of  that  berth  on  the  ocean  a  penitent,  be- 
lieving sinner,  bent  on  striving  to  serve  and 
praise  God. 

"  When  I  came  ashore  again,  I  found  my 
sister  Margery.  I  had  been  steering  clear  of 
her,  like  an  unnatural  brother  as  I  was,  because 
I  knew  she  was  a  pious  girl,  and  would  be 
shocked  at  my  ways.  I  introduced  her  to  the 
mother  and  son  who  had  done  so  much  for  me — 
and  when  she  pays  me  my  quarterly  visit  here, 
she  always  goes  to  see  them  too." 

"  May  I  see  them,  if  you  please,  Uncle  Nep  ?" 
asked  Lenny,  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  young  master,  certainly  you 
may."  ; 

"  0,  I'll  like  that  kind  boy  !"  said  Lenny,  im- 
pulsively, but  Dick  whispered  : — 

"He  isn't  a  boy  now,  you  know;"  at  which 
Lenny  locked  quite  disappointed. 


CHAPTER    THIRTEENTH. 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE. 


)NCLE  NEP  put  the  whole  party  into  the 
carriage,  and  sate  himself  in  amongst 
them,  taking  Lenny  on  his  knee,  to 
economize  room ;  then  they  took  a  de- 
lightful drive  of  a  mile  or  two  out  of  the  way  of 
the  stream  and  through  smiling  grain-fields,  ripe 
for  the  harvest,  till  they  came  to  such  a  beautiful 
little  church,  standing  under  the  shade  of  some 
giant  elms,  and  beside  it  a  neat  cottage,  within  a 
luxuriant  flower-garden. 

"  0,  I  would  like  to  live  here  all  the  time  !" 
said  Lenny ;  "  the  country  is  so  much  prettier 
than  the  city,  and  this  is  the  prettiest  country 

of  all — is  it  not?'' 

(188) 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.  189 

The  carriage  stopped,  and  they  all  got  out 
except  Mrs.  Simmons,  who  waited  till  the  door 
should  be  opened,  that  she  might  be  lifted  into 
the  sitting-room.  In  answer  to  the  first  knock, 
a  pleasant  old  lady  appeared  to  greet  them 
warmly,  and  said  that  her  son  William  was  in 
the  church,  where  the  children  were  singing  their 
anniversary  hymns.  There  was  to  be  a  great 
jubilee  in  a  week  or  two.  A  good  gentleman 
had  gived  them  funds  to  erect  a  school-house 
and  pay  the  teacher,  and  this  was  the  anniver- 
sary of  its  foundation  they  were  preparing  for. 
Mr.  Thornley  was  to  be  present,  and  they 
expected  a  very  delightful  time. 

She  offered  to  accompany  them  into  the 
church,  where  the  rehearsal  was  nearly  con- 
cluded, and  then  they  might  see  the  children 
and  hear  them  sing  a  piece,  perhaps. 

Lenny  kept  wondering  who  this  good  lady  was, 
and  whether  one  of  the  children  would  not  turn 
nit  to  be  Uncle  Nep's  good  boy,  for,  despite 


100     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LEVNY. 

Dick's  words,  he  clung  to  the  idea  of  his  being  a 
boy  still. 

As  they  went  over  the  fields  through  a  smooth 
path,  edged  on  all  sides  with  wild  rose  bushes, 
Simmons  took  the  carriage  round  by  the  road, 
and  waited  in  front  of  the  church.  There  they 
found  the  village  children  singing  sweetly,  and  a 
good  kind  gentleman  came  out  and  welcomed 
them  with  much  kindness.  That  was  the  last 
piece  they  were  in  time  to  hear ;  and  the  young 
people  being  dismissed,  Mr.  Warren,  who  was 
the  clergyman,  accompanied  his  mother  and  their 
friends  out  to  the  porch,  where  Mrs.  Simmons 
in  the  carriage  was  very  glad  to  see  them. 

"  I  have  brought  our  boys  according  to  cus- 
tom, sir,"  said  Uncle  Nep ;  "all  that  come  to 
our  little  'Dry  Dock,'  must  come  over  and  look 
at  'my  good  boy,'  and  see  how  he  still  continues 
the  work  he  began  so  well.  Yes,  Ma  ?ter  Len- 
ny, this  gentleman  was  the  little  fellow  who  won 
me  from  ruin  and  despair ;  and  although  you  are 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.  191 

very  young  to  learn  such  an  important  lesson,  I 
am  sure  you  must  see  that  a  good  boy  can  do 
God's  will  and  grow  up  to  be  a  noble  man." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Lenny,  seriously  impressed; 
for,  young  as  he  was,  he  realized  that  Mr.  War- 
ren had  been  desirous  of  serving  his  Heavenly 
Father,  and  that  his  work  had  been  blessed  by  the 
smile  of  God's  favor.  He  looked  from  the  be- 
nevolent old  lady  to  her  excellent  son,  and  felt  a 
strong  inward  drawing  towards  such  a  life  of  faith 
and  love. 

Meantime  the  good  clergyman  and  his  mother 
begged  that  they  might  have  the  pleasure  of  en- 
tertaining the  little  party  in  their  cottage  ;  but 
Uncle  Nep,  remembering  the  promised  boat-ride, 
said  he  would  accept  the  invitation  for  the  child- 
ren's festival,  and  endeavour  to  bring  his  friends 
to  enjoy  it  with  him ;  but  Sally  and  the  tea  ket- 
tle would  wait  for  them  in  the  arbor,  and  they 
must  all  have  a  row  in  the  "Brown  Gypsy,"  his 
newly  painted  boat. 


192     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

The  prospect  consoled  the  children  for  leaving 
the  pretty  church  and  parsonage  and  Elm  Vil- 
lage behind  them,  for  Mr.  Warren  had  warmly 
and  kindly  invited  them  all  to  come  and  see  the 
children  that  day  week,  and  Lenny  felt  sure  his 
auntie  would  like  to  be  there  too. 

The  "  Brown  Gypsy"  was  the  pink  of  all  boats, 
and  never  could  be  excelled :  so  Dick  believed, 
and  Lenny  joined  him  heartily  in  the  same  faith. 
They  talked  of  its  beauties  all  the  ride  back,  and 
Lenny,  who  was  by  this  time  quite  reconciled  to 
the  good  boy  having  grown  to  be  a  good  man, 
felt  sorry  that  Mr.  Warren  could  not  share  their 
pleasure.  At  last  they  reached  the  Paw-no-kee, 
and  Uncle  Nep  launched  the  Gypsy,  and  all 
but  Mrs.  Simmons,  who  was  tired  by  this  time, 
had  a  most  delightful  row.  Mrs.  White  had  a 
sweet  voice,  and  sang  such  pleasant  hymns,  that 
Lenny  could  never  grow  tired  listening  to  them. 

As  they  went  down  the  smooth  current  Dick 
and  she  kept  time  to  the  oar-strokes,  and  Uncle 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.   103 

Nep  joined  in  with  his  full  bass,  that  had  a  faint 
echo  of  the  roar  of  the  sea  in  its  deep  tones. 

0  !  it  was  a  lovely  afternoon,  but  the  sun  would 
begin  to  sink  and  the  treetops  to  grow  ruddy  in 
its  glorious  light,  although  Lenny  would  have 
been  so  glad  to  have  had  him  set  more  slowly 
this  afternoon  than  usual. 

"  We  must  keep  faith  with  our  kind  lady,  Miss 
Brenthurst,"  said  Uncle  Nep,  pulling  for  the 
shore ;  "  we  promised  to  send  our  little  gentle- 
man home  in  the  daylight,  and  there  is  no  time 
to  lose.  Sally  will  be  waiting ;  and  tea  must  be 
taken,  and  good-byes  said  for  this  time.  God 
bless  us  all,  and  spare  us  to  meet  again  as  hap- 
pily!" 

As  he   said,   tea  was  ready  in  the  arbor,  and 

peaches   and  cream  to  crown  the  repast.     Sally 

waited  on  the  young  people,  who  from  the  fresh 

air   and    exercise   had   no    difficulty   in    finding 

appetites. 

Mrs.    Simmons  had  rested   from  one  journey 
13 


194     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

and  was  soon  ready  for  another ;  the  carriage 
was  packed,  not  forgetting  the  basket  that  had 
held  cook's  dainties,  which  was  now  returned  full 
of  delicious  peaches ;  all  were  enthusiastic  over 
their  day's  enjoyment,  and  full  of  thanks  to  the 
good  old  sailor  who  had  received  them  so  hos- 
pitably. Mounting  his  quiet  old  horse  he  rode 
beside  them  for  a  mile  or  two,  and  then  stood 
watching  their  carriage  as  it  rolled  down  hill 
out  of  the  sound  of  the  Paw-no-kee  towards  the 
city,  that  by-and-by  began  to  appear  in  the 
distance. 

Miss  Brenthurst  had  felt  unaccountably  lonely 
without  Lenny,  and  really  had  been  forced  to 
struggle  against  an  indefinable  depression,  when 
she  saw  how  empty  the  room  seemed,  that  owed 
its  life  and  brightness  to  his  presence.  Both  she 
and  her  brother  were  waiting  to  receive  him,  and 
when  he  sprang  rosy  and  delighted  out  of  Sim- 
mons's  arms,  and  began  his  description  of  the 
day's   events   without   a   word   of   preface,   they 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.   195 

listened  with  pleased  interest  to  all  he  said,  and 
scarcely  noticed  the  slightly  confused  manner  in 
which  his  eagerness  to  tell  all  led  him  to  mix  the 
ducks  and  turkeys,  the  boat  and  children's  festi- 
val, with  the  dreadful  death  at  sea,  and  the 
clergyman  and  his  mother. 

They  were  still  wrapt  in  the  interest  of  the 
recital,  glancing  at  each  other  in  silent  commen- 
dation of  the  correct  views  the  boy  took  of  all  he 
had  seen,  and  perhaps  a  little  partially  admiring 
the  intelligence  and  appreciative  faculties  of  one 
so  young,  when  Lenny's  face  changed,  and  he 
suddenly  became  constrained  and  silent. 

While  they  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  the 
alteration  explained  itself — the  boy's  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  door ;  theirs  followed  the  direction, 
and  saw  Clement  Blye  standing  smiling  and  bow- 
ing there. 

"  Why,  you're  as  noiseless  as  a  cat,  Clement," 
cried  Mr.  Brenthurst,  with  something  like  dis- 
pleasure in  his  tone.     "  I  don't  wonder  the  child 


196     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

was  startled ;  I  declare  it  is  enough  to  startle  any 
one  to  see  such  a  spectre-like  appearance." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  be  more  boisterous  in 
my  way,"  said  Clement,  smiling,  but  contracting 
his  brows,  and  sending  a  sharp  glance  at  Lenny 
for  a  single  instant.  "  I  was  told  by  the  servant 
that  I  should  find  you  here,  and  so  I  came." 

"  Quite  right,  my  dear  Clement,"  cried  Miss 
Brenthurst,  rising  to  welcome  him,  for  she  feared 
that  her  brother's  manner  might  appear  harsh. 
"  We  were  listening  to  Lenny's  account  of  his 
visit  to  the  country,  and  it  was  so  pleasant  to 
watch  his  enjoyment  and  enthusiasm  that  we  grew 
oblivious  of  everything  else.  I  must  ring  for 
Bessie  now.  He  seems  to  have  grown  suddenly 
tired  and  sleepy.  Good-night,  my  dear  boy. 
We  must  think  about  the  festival  at  Elm  Vil- 
lage ;  perhaps  Lrncle  John  may  be  able  to  go 
with  us." 

"Uncle  John!"  echoed  Clement,  in  a  sharp 
suppressed  tone,   and   looked   from    one  to  the 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.  107 

other  with  that  keen  glance  that  seemed  to  spring 
from  under  his  brows  like  a  knife  from  its 
sheath. 

Miss  Brenthurst  did  not  reply  until  Bessie 
appeared,  and  Lenny,  whose  manner  had  lost  all 
its  vivacity  and  brightness,  murmured  his  good- 
night and  withdrew.  Then  she  turned  towards 
him  and  said,  quietly  : — 

"  You  know  my  brother  and  I  lead  lonely 
lives,  or  rather  we  did,  before  Providence  placed 
Lenny  in  our  way.  We  both  feel  that  the  child 
has  opened  new  and  delightful  channels  of  sym- 
pathy and  interest  in  our  contracted  natures ; 
and  we  feel  that  we  owe  him  a  place  in  the  hearts 
and  home  he  has  gladdened.  He  must  look  up 
to  us  in  some  way,  and  bejng  as  it  appears  with- 
out relatives,  we  have  adopted  him  as  our 
nephew." 

"Not  legally,  you  know,  Helen,"  said  her 
brother.  "  I  think  it  would  only  be  right  to  do 
so  in  a  binding  way  that  would  be  recognised  by 


198     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

law.  If  we  wait  a  year  without  being  able  to 
trace  his  connections,  I  think  we  are  justified  in 
doing  that." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Miss  Brenthurst,  acquies- 
cing eagerly ;  "let  us  do  anything  that  will  seem 
to  give  us  a  firmer  hold  on  him,  for  he  grows 
dearer  to  us  daily ;  and  I  am  sure  I  could  not 
love  him  any  more  if  he  were  actually  related  to 
us  both." 

Clement  watched  their  faces  narrowly,  and 
yet  preserved  sufficient  control  over  his  features 
to  hide  his  thoughts — they  only  betrayed  an  ab- 
sorbing interest  in  the  theme ;  a  curious  smile, 
that  it  was  his  habit  to  assume  as  a  sort  of  mask, 
covered  all  the  rest. 

Mr.  Brenthurst  felt  uncomfortable  while  dis- 
cussing home  topics  in  his  cousin's  presence.  He 
did  not  like  to  acknowledge  to  himself  the  esti- 
mate he  placed  on  Clement's  jealous,  sordid 
nature ;  but  he  could  not  disguise  the  uneasiness 
he  endured  when  the  young  man  put  that  shallow 


LENNY'S  DRIVE  TO  ELM  VILLAGE.   199 

smiling  face  of  his  into  any  project  where  their 
dear  child's  happiness  was  concerned. 

"  Helen  has  been  telling  me  about  the  origin 
of  that  cotton  factory  you  did  some  business  with 
last  week,  Clement,"  he  said,  to  change  the 
theme ;  "  they  are  doing  thrivingly,  I  hear,  and 
it  was  all  a  benevolent  scheme  of  Mr.  Graham's. 
A  noble  character,  a  truly  noble  character  he  is ; 
and  his  wealth  gives  him  an  opportunity  of  grati- 
fying his  best  feelings." 

Miss  Brenthurst  glanced  persuasively  at  her 
cousin. 

"  Will  you  make  one  of  our  party  if  we  go  to 
his  place  next  week,  and  from  there  to  Elm  Vil- 
lage, to  be  present  at  a  children's  festival  ?  You 
cannot  conceive  how  much  pleasure  I  should  feel 
in  your  taking  an  interest  in  such  things.  A 
young  man  with  your  talent  for  business  must 
one  day  become  rich,  and  then  your  influence 
must  tell  either  for  good  or  evil ;  it  would  be 
very  agreeable  to  me  and  to  your  Cousin  John, 


200     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

if  we  could  draw  you  more  completely  within  the 
circle  of  our  interests  and  sympathies." 

Still  smiling,  Clement  seemed  to  take  a  mo- 
ment's thought ;  then  he  answered  quite  readily 
and  with  much  apparent  pleasure,  that  he  would 
be  sure  to  go  ;  he  was  glad  that  he  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  improving  under  their  tuition,  &c,  &c. 

For  the  rest  of  the  evening  he  was  particularly 
talkative  and  entertaining,  discussing  a  great 
variety  of  subjects,  and  never  once  alluding  to 
Lenny  or  anything  connected  with  him.  It  was 
quite  late  when  he  went  away,  and  both  his 
cousins  acknowledged  with  much  satisfaction  that 
he  was  improving,  and  might  yet  become  as  good 
and  amiable  as  he  was  useful  and  reliable  in 
business. 


CHAPTER    FOURTEENTH. 

LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE. 

'ENNY  did  not  suffer  the  least  inconve- 
nience from  the  fatigue  of  his  day  in  the 
country,  and  the  pleasure  of  looking  back 
occupied  his  mind  till  the  projected  visit 
to  Mr.  Graham's  drew  near.  Simmons  had  done 
his  best  to  train  and  restore  the  plant  that  had 
spelt  his  name  so  prettily,  and  although  many  of 
its  delicate  tendrils  were  (broken  and  crushed 
beyond  hope  of  reviving  it  was  yet  living,  and 
growing  back  into  something  like  its  former 
freshness. 

Lenny,  who  did  not  know  the  cruel  treatment 
it  had  met  with  from  Clement's  boots,  was  busy 

(201) 


202     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

with  his  gardening  under  Simmons's  direction,  the 
afterncM  n  before  the  contemplated  trip  to  the 
country.  Simmons  had  been  rolling  the  walk, 
and  Lenny,  with  his  little  knife,  was  cutting  away 
the  overgrowth  of  some  spreading  vines,  gather- 
ing the  lopped  branches  into  his  little  barrow, 
and  trundling  it  down  to  the  gate  that  opened 
into  the  street  where  Simmons's  house  was. 

Standing  or  loitering  about  this  place,  he  ob- 
served a  low-set  dark-complexioned  man,  roughly 
dressed,  and  altogether  unattractive-looking,  who 
seemed  very  anxious  to  be  agreeable  to  him  not- 
withstanding, and  nodded  and  grinned  every  time 
he  appeared  at  the  gate.  "  There  is  a  man  at 
the  corner  that  seems  to  know  me,"  he  said,  com- 
ing up  to  Simmons,  after  a  dozen  of  these  silent 
recognitions.  "  Would  auntie  allow  me  to  ask 
him  in  here  and  see  what  it  means  ?"  Lenny 
spoke  quite  seriously ;  he  was  not  at  all  attracted 
to  the  man,  but  thought  it  his  duty  to  understand 
the  secret  of  his  interest  in  him. 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  203 

"I'll  go  and  see  him  myself,"  said  Simmons; 
and  he  went  accordingly. 

He  came  back  in  a  minute,  saying  there 
was  no  one  in  sight,  and  that  Lenny  must 
have  made  a  mistake.  But  Lenny  was  quite 
confident  he  had  not,  and  although  the  man  did 
not  reappear,  the  impression  he  had  made  re- 
mained, so  that  even  in  the  evening,  he  repeated 
to  Mr.  Brenthurst  the  odd  circumstance  of  the 
grinning  man,  and  was  so  decided  about  the  signs 
of  recognition  he  gave  him,  that  Miss  Brenthurst 
afterwards  suggested  to  her  brother,  that  he 
might  have  some  recollection  connected  with  the 
strange  person  in  his  past  life,  which  were  too 
dim  to  be  recalled  clearly. 

The  next  day  was  bright  and  sunshiny,  and  all 
the  household  was  astir  early,  preparing  for  the 
unusual  circumstance  of  Miss  Brenthurst  and  her 
brother  leaving  home  together,  for  a  holiday  in 
the  country.  Lenny  had  asked  permission  tc 
carry  Jenny  Garland  a  bouquet  of  his  own  peculiar 


204     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

flowers.  As  he  ran  through  the  lower  hall,  cook, 
whose  temper  sometimes  became  a  little  ruffled 
with  a  bad  draught  or  slow  fire,  called  out 
sharply, 

"  Master  Lenny,  please  go  by  the  side  door,  and 
let  the  back  remain  closed  till  my  oven  gets  hot." 

His  hand  was  already  on  the  latch,  it  was 
partly  opened  when  she  spoke ;  but  after  a  sec- 
ond's irresolution,  he  closed  it  again  and  went  by 
the  way  she  said.  As  he  came  back  into  the 
house,  he  took  the  largest  and  reddest  rose  he 
could  select,  and  stopped  to  offer  it  to  her. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  have  to  stay  at  home  and 
bake  cakes,"  he  said  kindly;  "  I  wish  you  could 
have  a  nice  time  too,  cook." 

"  Bless  your  kind  heart !"  exclaimed  cook,  smi- 
ling in  restored  good  humor,  "  I  can  get  a  holiday 
for  the  asking,  and  it  does  me  good  to  see  your 
bright  little  face,  almost  as  much  as  if  I  was  going 
myself." 

So  the  party  set  off  for  Green  slope  in  high 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  205 

spirits,  and  after  a  delightful  drive  reached  Mr. 
Graham's  grand  old  house,  whose  comforts  and 
delights  were  rather  overlooked  by  Lenny,  in 
his  rapture  at  the  kind  reception  offered  by 
Roman,  who  extended  his  paw  and  his  friendship 
immediately,  and  showed  off  all  his  wonderful 
accomplishments,  to  the  unspeakable  pride  of 
Jenny. 

Mr.  Graham  was  a  most  hospitable  old  gentle- 
man, and  nobody  could  be  kinder  than  his  good 
housekeeper,  or  more  agreeable  than  Jenny. 
There  was  so  much  to  be  seen  before  dinner, 
and  immediately  afterwards  they  were  to  drive 
to  Elm  Village  to  the  Festival,  so  no  time  was  to 
be  lost.  Jenny  undertook  to  show  all  the  sights 
to  Lenny  and  Roman,  and  they  had  already 
made  two  or  three  excursions,  while  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  was  enjoying  the  view  of  the  slope  and 
river  from  the  great  drawing-room  windows.  It 
seemed  impossible  to  exhaust  the  list  of  de- 
lights,  when    Mr.    Graham    introduced    another 


206     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

into  the  foreground,  by  leading  out  a  little  Shet- 
land pony,  which  was  all  ready  to  give  Lenny  a 
first  ride,  and  was  so  gentle  and  reliable,  that  his 
aunt  could  have  no  objection  to  the  treat. 

Mr.  Graham  drove  Mr.  Brenthurst  and  his 
sister  over  to  the  factory  at  their  request,  and 
Jenny  and  Lenny  and  Roman,  and  Thistledown 
the  pony,  began  to  enjoy  themselves  on  the  lawn. 

In  the  midst  of  laughing  gayly,  and  clapping 
his  hands  with  excitement  and  pleasure,  Lenny 
became  aware  of  a  figure  behind  the  ornamental 
trees  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  and  a  pair  of 
sharp  bad  eyes  watching  him  closely. 

"  Who  is  that  ?"  he  cried  quickly,  turning  sud- 
denly towards  Jenny ;  "it  must  be  the  man  at 
the  garden-gate." 

"  There  is  no  one  at  the  garden-gate,"  repeated 
Jenny.     "  What  do  you  mean,  dear  ?" 

"  I  mean  our  garden  at  home ;  but  he's  gone 
now,  I  don't  see  him  anymore;"  and  slapping 
the  pony  lightly  with  his  bridle,  he  started  him 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  207 

into  a  gentle  trot,  which  was  so  delightful  as  to 
stop  all  further  conversation  except  exclamations 
of  pleasure. 

At  dinner  the  party  were  joined  by  Clement 
Blye,  who  was  determined  to  be  pleased  with 
everything,  and  whom  Mr.  Graham  received 
kindly  as  the  relative  of  his  guests. 

The  factory,  the  school,  the  reading-room,  and 
its  excellent  library,  all  formed  subjects  for  con- 
versation, and  the  carriages  were  at  the  door 
before  the  pleasant  meal  was  finished. 

"  I  will  put  on  Lenny's  things,  Miss  Brent- 
hurst,"  said  Jenny,  looking  about  for  him  in  the 
hall ;  "  he  was  here  a  moment  ago,  and  ran  out 
with  Roman — don't  wait — (I'll  find  him  ;"  and 
she  hurried  off  to  do  so,  calling  as  she  went. 

Miss  Brenthurst  was  detained  a  few  moments 
by  Mrs.  Garland's  finding  that  the  door  of  the 
room  in  which  the  guests'  things  were  laid  had 
been  locked  by  somebody,  and  the  key  gone. 
Such    an    unaccountable    thing   filled    her    with 


208     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

wonder,  and  she  looked  about  on  all  sides  for  an 
explanation.  Mr.  Blye,  who. was  just  descending 
the  stairs,  suggested  that  it  might  have  been  the 
result  of  accident.  He  had  gone  up  to  find  his 
hat,  and  now  hurried  down  to  say  that  they 
would  be  ready  presently. 

When  they  did  find  the  key — curiously  enough 
it  lay  on  the  carpet  at  their  feet — and  had  opened 
the  door,  dressed  and  gone  down,  they  found  one 
carriage  already  driven  off  with  Jenny,  Lenny, 
Mr.  Graham,  and  Mr.  Brenthurst  in  it. 

Clement  remained,  as  he  said,  to  drive  the 
ladies ;  and  when  Miss  Brenthurst  evinced  sur- 
prise that  the  boy  should  have  gone  without  his 
light  coat  or  gloves,  he  offered  quickly  to  take 
charge  of  them,  and  professed  himself  to  blame 
in  the  whole  matter  since  he  had  urged  the  gen- 
tleman not  to  lose  time — knowing  as  he  did  that 
Mr.  Graham  was  the  important  feature  in  the 
festive  occasion. 

So  they  all  went  off  together,  and  never  had 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  209 

Clement  Blye  been  so  agreeably  entertaining. 
"  His  Cousin  Helen's  advice  would  always  be 
sands  of  gold  to  him,"  he  said;  "and  she  had 
opened  a  new  and  delightful  prospect  of  future 
usefulness  to  him ;  he  was  a  poor  clerk  now,  but 
by-and-by  fortune  might  smile  on  him,  and  with 
her  favors  he  should  possess  the  desire  to  use  his 
riches  wisely  and  well.  And  what,"  he  asked, 
"  what  was  wealth  with  benevolence  without  a 
desire  to  do  good  to  our  fellow-beings?"  He 
looked  very  seriously,  and  seemed  so  deeply  im- 
pressed by  his  own  newly  awakened  philan- 
thropy as  to  regard  all  mankind  and  nature  with 
new  and  awakened  interest,  which  gave  his  cousin 
great  satisfaction,  and  some, little  remorse  for  not 
having  done  more  to  arouse  this  latent  good 
feeling. 

At  last,  after  a  pleasant  two  hours'  ride,  they 

came  in   sight  of  Elm   Village,  and  found  the 

beautiful  grove  around  the  school-house  decorated 

with  garlands  of  flowers  and  appropriate  mottoes. 

14 


210     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

As  they  drew  near  they  joined  Mr.  Graham's 
carriage,  and  -as  soon  as  both  vehicles  entered 
the  enclosure,  a  procession  of  children  in  holiday 
dress  drew  near  singing  and  strewing  flowers  in 
honor  of  the  kindly  Christian  gentleman,  who 
had  done  so  much  in  their  behalf.  Jenny's  head 
looked  out  of  the  carriage  window. 

"Please  let  Lenny  see  it,  Miss  Brenthurst," 
she  whispered ;  "  let  him  stand  in  front  of  the 
carriage." 

Not  quite  understanding  her,  the  lady  turned 
to  her  cousin. 

"What  does  she  say,  Clement?"  she  asked. 

He  suddenly  grew  deeply  interested  in  the 
management  of  his  horses,  and  made  them  rear 
so  as  to  rather  alarm  the  rest. 

"  Pray  keep  them  quiet ;  had  we  not  better 
get  out  here?"  said  Miss  Brenthurst.  "I  am 
curious  to  know  what  Jenny  said  of  Lenny.  Yes, 
Clement,  if  you  please,  we  will  alight  now." 

And  they  did,  but  were  so  surrounded  by  the 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  211 

school  children  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren,  the 
good  clergyman  and  his  mother,  that  Miss  Brent- 
hurst's  attention  was  distracted  for  a  few  minutes 
from  the  other  carriage,  and  only  recalled  by 
Uncle  Nep,  who  was  Mr.  Warren's  guest  on  the 
occasion,  and  now,  all  smiles  and  bows,  came  up 
to  inquire  after  "  the  young  gentleman,  Master 
Lenny." 

"Where  is  he,  Jenny?"  asked  Miss  Brent- 
hurst,  looking  about  her  on  all  sides. 

"Where  is  he?"  cried  Jenny,  echoing  her 
words  by  way  of  reply.  "  I  don't  see  him — he 
must  be  in  the  carriage." 

Miss  Brenthurst  turned  very  white,  and  caught 
Mrs.  Garland's  arm  quickly.,* 

"  He  was  left  behind,"  she  said,  in  a  low 
voice;  "and  I  do  not  understand  it.  Where  is 
my  brother?" 

He  was  called,  and  came  instantly.  He  looked 
annoyed  and  disturbed  at  the  oversight,  but  not 
at  all  frightened. 


212     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

"It  was  the  pony,  depend  upon  it,"  he  said. 
"  I  suppose  he  took  the  opportunity  of  your  get- 
ting ready  to  steal  another  ride,  and  found  us 
gone  when  he  got  home.  I'll  drive  back  for 
him." 

"No,  no!"  interposed  Clement,  eagerly; 
"  allow  me  to  do  it,  Mr.  Graham  relies  on  you  to 
help  him  through  with  the  addresses,  and  I  will 
not  be  in  the  least  missed.     I'll  start  at  once." 

And  despite  Miss  Brenthurst's  objections, 
which  she  could  not  explain  satisfactorily  to  her- 
self, although  she  uttered  them,  he  was  off  in  the 
lightest  carriage,  dashing  out  of  sight  in  great 
speed,  as  if  bent  on  serving  his  cousin  whether 
or  no. 

"  0,  why  did  Mr.  Clement  say  I  must  go  with 
Mr.  Graham  and  Mr.  Brenthurst  ?"  exclaimed 
Jenny,  distressedly.  "  I  begged  him  to  let  me 
wait  for  Lenny,  but  he  said  you  would  bring  him 
with  you." 

"  There  was  a  mistake  somewhere,"  said  her 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  213 

aunt ;  "  for  Mr.  Blye  told  us  that  he  was  with 
you,  and  we  never  looked  for  him  at  all." 

Miss  Brenthurst  said  nothing ;  hut  her  uneasi- 
ness and  an  indefinahle  dread  of  something  to 
come  oppressed  her  more  and  more  every  mo- 
ment. 

That  was  a  painful  afternoon  to  her.  She  was 
too  good  and  too  unselfish  to  disturb  the  pleasure 
of  others  by  her  own  forebodings  and  distress,  so 
she  strove  earnestly  to  subdue  each  outward  ex- 
pression of  trouble,  and  tried  to  listen  to  all  Mrs. 
Warren  and  Uncle  Nep  told  her  about  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Church,  the  Sunday  school  and  the 
Everyday  school,  both  of  which  institutions  owed 
so  much  to  the  benevolence  of  good  Mr.  Graham. 
At  last  it  grew  late  enough  to  return,  and  no 
sign  of  Mr.  Blye. 

"  He  has  found  the  boy  all  right,  but  does  not 
think  it  worth  while  to  ride  back.  Remember  it 
is  a  two  hours'  drive,"  said  their  considerate  host ; 
but  Miss   Brenthurst   could   not   command   her 


214     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

fears,  and  when  she  perceived  that  her  brother 
begar  t  share  them,  she  grew  more  restless  and 
uncomfortable  than  ever. 

.Heartily  glad  to  be  once  more  on  her  way,  she 
took  leave  of  the  good  friend  at  Elm  Village,  and, 
riding  back  with  her  brother  as  driver,  urged 
him  to  put  the  horses  to  their  speed. 

When  they  came  in  sight  of  Mr.  Graham's 
house  everything  was  quiet,  and  old  Roman  lay 
asleep  on  the  great  porch.  It  argued  well  for 
Lenny,  they  all  said ;  but  when  they  alighted 
and  inquired,  their  worst  fears  were  confirmed. 
The  child  had  not  been  seen  at  all.  Mr.  Blye 
had  arrived  two  or  three  hours  before,  and  made 
all  sorts  of  inquiries  in  a  breathless  way,  then 
driven  off  again  to  be  seen  no  more  by  the  house- 
hold, though  the  general  supposition  was  that  he 
had  gone  to  the  city  to  set  the  police  to  search. 

"Is  there  any  water  near?"  asked  Miss 
Brenthurst,  her  voice  trembling  with  horror  at 
the  idea  she  had  suggested. 


LENNY'S  DISAPPEARANCE.  215 

None  but  the  river,  and  that  was  not  easily 
accessible ;  no,  it  could  not  be  explained,  though 
the  strictest  search  was  instituted.  No  clue 
could  be  discovered ;  though  they  looked  in  all 
directions,  and  sent  inquiries  out  on  the  faintest 
"chances,  not  one  single  shred  of  information, 
however  faint,  could  they  glean  of  the  lost 
Lenny. 

What  a  gloomy  journey  back  to  the  city,  and 
what  a  miserable  uncertainty  and  gloom  awaited 
them!  Clement  was  there,  and  surprised  them 
by  the  anxiety  and  energy  he  displayed ;  he  had 
already  made  all  the  preliminary  arrangements 
of  a  thorough  search,  and  offered  a  large  reward 
to  any  one. who  could  bring  any  tidings  of  the 
child.  Distressed  and  unhappy  as  Mr.  Brent- 
hurst  was,  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  that 
Clement  had  not  attended  to.  He  was  forced  to 
acknowledge  that  he  had  done  the  young  man 
great  injustice  in  the  past,  and  desired  to  repair 
it  by  showing  him  confidence  in  the  future. 


216     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Yes,  Lenny  was  truly  lost ;  not  a  scrap  of 
intelligence  in  any  way  relating  to  him  could  be 
gained ;  it  really  seemed  as  if  he  had  been  sud- 
denly wiped  out  of  existence,  and  there  was  no- 
thing left  of  the  little  boy  except  the  great 
sorrow  in  the  hearts  of  those  his  simple  loving 
nature  had  won  to  prize  and  cheiish  him. 


CHAPTER   FIFTEENTH. 

LENNY'S  PRISON. 

ND  where  was  little  Lenny  while  all  this 
anxious  sorrow  and  distress  were  felt  on 
his  account  ?  In  a  railroad  car  flying 
over  a  Western  road  at  a  swift  pace, 
seated  side  by  side  with  the  strange  dark -faced 
man  he  had  already  begun  to  doubt  and  fear. 

When  Miss  Brenthurst  left  him  on  the  portico 
after  dinner  he  thought  he  would  just  run  down 
the  lawn  to  take  a  look  at  Thistledown,  who  was 
being  led  away  to  the  stable  by  the  lower  road. 

He  had  passed  into  the  little  clump  of  trees 
that  lay  between  the  lawn  and  the  hedge  he 
meant  to  peep  over,  when  the  man,  who  said  his 

(217) 


218     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

name  was  Jerry,  came  towards  him,  smiling  and 
bowing  and  making  so  many  motions  to  attract 
and  please  him,  that  he  paused  bewildered  by 
them  all. 

"  I  know  where  Perry  is,  little  master,"  he 
said,  speaking  persuasively,  "  and  I  want  you  to 
come  and  get  him ;  he  won't  come  with  me,  he 
don't  know  me  well  enough,  hut  he'd  be  so  glad 
to  see  you.  Do  come,  Master  Lenny,  and  get 
poor  little  Perry." 

"  Where  is  he  ?  Let  me  go  and  tell  my  aunt !" 
said  Lenny,  divided  between  eagerness  and 
anxiety.  "  I  want  to  see  him — 0  dear  little 
Perry !" 

"  No,  don't  stop,  it  will  only  take  a  moment, 
we'll  be  back  in  time — come  on  !"  exclaimed  the 
man,  and  at  each  word  he  drew  the  boy  with  him 
farther  into  the  wood.  "  Let  me  carry  you, 
then  we  won't  lose  time  or  keep  your  aunt  wait- 
ing ;"  and  as  he  spoke  he  caught  the  boy  up  in 
spite  of  his  rather  indignant  remonstrances  ;  and 


LENNY'S  PRISON.  219 

covered  his  mouth  with  a  handkerchief  to  pre- 
vent his  making  any  outcry.  Lenny  soon  ceased 
to  struggle ;  indeed  he  only  made  a  motion  or 
two,  when  his  head  fell  helplessly  on  the  shoulder 
of  the  strange  man,  with  his  face  looking  very 
white,  his  eyes  half  open,  and  his  chest  heaving 
laboriously  with  the  effort  of  breathing  under  the 
influence  of  the  drug  Jerry  had  forced  him  to 
inhale  so  as  to  become  unconscious.  In  this 
state  he  carried  him  through  the  by-ways  till  he 
gained  the  open  highway,  where  a  gig  was  stand- 
ing, whose  horse's  reins  were  held  by  a  hard- 
faced  woman. 

"Give  bim  here,"  she  said,  sharply;  "you've 
been  long  enough  about  it,  I'm  sure.  Now  get 
in,  or  we  won't  get  away  in  time  for  the  train." 

On  the  knee  of  this  unprepossessing  female, 
Lenny  half  sat  and  half  lay  for  the  next  hour, 
and  when  they  reached  the  outskirts  of  a  strange 
town  at  the  end  of  that  time,  he  recovered  his 
consciousness,  but   was  too   faint   and   sick  and 


220     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

giddy  to  collect  his  scattered  senses  clearly,  or 
realize  what  was  occurring  round  him. 

They  drove  straight  to  the  station  of  the 
Western  Railway,  and  the  woman,  getting  out, 
bought  the  necessary  tickets,  while  the  man  held 
Lenny,  and  kept  talking  to  him  soothingly  about 
going  to  see  little  Perry. 

"  I  want  to  go  back  to  my  aunt  and  uncle," 
Lenny  would  answer  faintly,  and  with  a  great 
effort,  for  the  effect  of  the  powerful  drug  was 
still  strong  on  him.  He  had  a  sort  of  half- 
defined  consciousness  of  something  painful  occur- 
ring, and  a  fear  of  how  it  would  end ;  but  be- 
yond this  his  weakened  powers  could  not  extend, 
and  he  lay  breathing  painfully  on  the  man's 
shoulder,  wishing  that  somebody  would  come  to 
his  rescue,  yet  scarcely  knowing  from  what  he 
desired  to  be  delivered. 

The  woman  looked  at  him,  as  she  jumped  in 
again  with  the  tickets  in  her  hand. 

"He  won't  give  you  any  trouble,"  she  said, 


LENNY'S  PRISON  221 

coolly,  "  and  you  wouldn't  need  me,  even  if  it  was 
safe  for  me  to  go.  I'll  go  back  with  the  buggy, 
and  tell  my  story  to  the  man  I  hired  it  from,  to 
prevent  suspicion.  You  needn't  be  seen  at  all, 
for  I  have  kept  you  out  of  the  way  so  far,  and 
all  you  have  to  do  is  to  keep  straight  on,  accord- 
ing to  directions.  I'll  stay  and  settle  with 
Blye." 

Lenny  heard  and  partly  understood  her  words ; 
lV>at  is,  a  dawning  suspicion  of  evil  presented 
itself  to  his  slowly  awakening  mind,  and  a  word- 
less terror  of  the  name  he  had  just  heard  as 
being  connected  with  it.  He  had  but  little 
pause  given  him  to  consider  in — the  train  came 
snorting  and  puffing  in  sight,  the  man  jumped 
down,  wrapped  him  in  a  linen  coat,  and  putting 
a  straw  hat  of  a  common  sort  on  his  head,  left 
his  pretty  one  with  the  woman  —  then  carried 
him  quickly  across  the  platform  into  the  cars, 
and  they  were  steaming  and  shrieking  on  their 
way  again. 


222     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

The  man  had  left  his  handkerchief  with  hia 
companion,  and  taken  another,  which  was  highly 
perfumed  with  cologne.  With  it  he  wiped  Len- 
ny's face  and  brushed  his  hair,  and,  leaving  him 
for  a  few  moments,  returned  with  a  glass  of 
lemonade,  which  he  insisted  on  his  swallowing  to 
the  last  drop.  Having  done  so,  Lenny  soon  fell 
asleep,  and  the  rest  of  the  journey  seemed  like  a 
troubled  dream  to  him. 

When  he  awoke  clearly,  he  was  in  a  small 
dark  room,  meanly  furnished,  and  had  just 
raised  himself  in  a  cot-bed,  which  was  at  the 
foot  of  another,  wherein  the  man  called  Jerry 
lay  sleeping.  He  was  very  Aveak,  and,  looking 
at  his  arms,  he  saw  that  they  were  thin  and 
wasted,  as  if  he  had  been  ill. 

There  was  a  little  table  beside  his  bed,  and  on 
it  stood  a  bottle,  a  cup  and  spoon,  and  a  small 
jug  of  water. 

Although  everything  seemed  strange  and 
repellent  to  his  feelings,  it  was  not  entirely  un- 


LENNY'S  PRISON.  223 

familiar ;  he  seemed  to  have  seen  it  before,  under 
the  influence  of  a  dream,  as  well  he  might,  since 
he  had  been  lying  in  a  fever  in  that  very  room 
for  nearly  a  fortnight. 

But  Lenny  did  not  know  this ;  and  so  he 
strove  to  rise,  and,  finding  that  he  had  no 
strength,  sank  back  on  his  pillow,  and  cried  like 
the  poor  little  desolate  creature  he  was. 

By-and-by  the  man  woke  up,  and  began  to 
yawn  and  stretch  himself,  wearily  muttering 
something  about  it  being  late  and  his  being  lazy. 
At  last  he  rose,  and  appeared  fully  dressed,  as  if 
he  had  tumbled  down  just  as  he  was  the  night 
before.  His  face  looked  red  and  his  eyes  swollen, 
and  his  temper  seemed  anything  but  cheerful. 

At  first  Lenny  was  so  timid  that  he  shut  his 
eyes  and  tried  to  appear  asleep ;  but  by-and-by 
his  courage  grew  stronger,  and,  struggling  up 
once  more,  he  spoke,  with  all  the  feeling  his 
wretchedness  could  convey : — 

"Please,  sir,  take  me  home  to  my  aunt  and 


'J24     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

mcle — I  don't  want  to  be  here.  I  don't  want  to 
stay,  and  I'll  never  say  I  do  not  like  Mr.  Clem- 
ent again,  if  you  only  let  me  go." 

Jerry  laughed  long  and  loud. 

"  The  young  one's  cute  enough  to  see  through 
a  stone  wall,"  he  said,  half  to  himself.  "Why, 
who  said  anything  about  Mr.  Clement,  I  want  to 
know  ?     Who  is  he,  I  wonder  ?" 

Something  in  his  manner  of  speaking,  in  the 
coarse  swagger  and  loud  way  he  had,  seemed  to 
kill  all  hope  or  trust  in  the  boy's  heart ;  he  fell 
back  on  the  bed  and  lay  quite  still,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  that  under  all  the  bright  sun  that  now 
began  to  shine  into  the  dreary  room,  there  was 
no  such  wretched  child  as  he. 

"  No  one  can  hear  me,  no  one  will  help  me," 
he  thought — and  he  put  his  thin  little  hands 
before  his  face,  and  cried  very  bitterly. 

But  there  seemed  to  be  a  soft  little  voice 
speaking  away  down  in  his  own  breast.     He  lis- 


LENNY'S  PRISON.  225 

tened,  and  by-and-by  it  became  plainer  and  more 
audible,  and  these  were  the  words  it  said : — ■ 

"  Poor  and  friendless  thot*gh  I  be, 
Yet  my  Saviour  cai-es  for  me. 
Wretched  and  forlorn  I  roam, 
Still  He  points  to  Heaven,  my  home." 

This  was  a  verse  of  a  little  hymn  he  had  been 
singing  to  Bessie  the  day  before  the  journey  to 
Greenslope,  and  now  it  came  back  to  him, 
through  what  seemed  a  long  distant  time,  and 
with  a  meaning  it  had  never  had  before. 

It  was  only  the  beginning  of  many  better  and 
nobler  thoughts  that  followed.  All  the  teachings 
of  his  aunt  —  all  the  prayers  she  had  uttered 
over  him — seemed  to  blossom  into  fruit  in  that 
one  hour,  as,  clasping  his  hands,  he  lifted  his 
young  heart  silently  in  faith  and  trust  to  the 
All-powerful  God,  who,  even  in  his  desolation, 
saw  and  could  help  him.  He  had  not  prayed 
long  before  he  felt  courage,  then  patience,  and 
15 


226     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

then  hope,  all  waken  in  his  young  soul.  He 
would  not  give  up  to  misery — he  would  endure, 
and  he  would  try  to  get  away,  with  God's  help. 
0,  what  a  long  and  fervent  prayer  he  uttered, 
without  speaking  a  single  word  !  He  had  disco- 
vered the  power  of  God,  because  he  found  him- 
self utterly  friendless,  and  with  no  strength  but 
in  Him. 

His  happy,  happy  life  with  dear  Miss  Brent- 
hurst  seemed  like  something  too  beautiful  to  be 
real ;  but  all  she  had  taught  him  of  the  Saviour, 
awoke  in  clear,  distinct,  unalterable  belief,  and 
sustained  him  in  his  helplessness  and  sorrow. 

Strangely  plain  and  real  now  became  what  had 
been  before  a  mere  confused  mass  of  floating 
remembrances.  He  could  recall  his  mother,  and 
separate  her  quite  clearly  from  Miss  Brenthurst ; 
he  could  see  the  journey  they  had  taken  together, 
the  last  place  they  had  stopped  at,  and  remember 
all  she  said,  and  who  had  been  with  her.  0, 
what  a  longing  possessed  him  to  run  to  his  dear 


LENNY'S  PRISON  227 

friends  with,  his  newly-found  knowledge,  and  how 
bitter  it  was  to  know  they  were  separated  so 
hopelessly  !  But  Lenny  had  prayed  for  courage, 
and  meant  to  keep  it ;  so  he  nursed  it  with  hope 
and  prayer,  and  was  quiet  and  unmurmuring, 
biding  his  time  to  escape,  for  to  that  end  every 
faculty  in  his  youthful  brain  centered. 

Jerry  was  not  abusive  to  him,  neither  was  he 
kind.  Sometimes  he  would  laugh  in  his  coarse, 
loud  way  at  something  suggested  by  his  words, 
.but  generally  he  was  silent,  and  preoccupied  by 
his  own  thoughts.  They  were  only  stopping 
there  for  a  little  while,  Lenny  gathered,  and 
would  go  on  again  to  some  more  distant  point  as 
soon  as  they  received  instructions  from  some  one 
at  home. 

Lenny  was  a  prisoner ;  he  could  not  leave  the 
little  room  and  another  equally  small  apartment 
opening  from  it,  which  comprised  Jerry's  lodg- 
ings. His  meals,  of  plain  but  sufficient  food, 
were  brought  there,   and  when  Jerry  went  out 


228     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

the  doors  were  locked  securely  on  the  outside. 
Here  he  stayed  for  hours  together,  in  the  light 
or  darkness,  utterly  alone,  and  suffering  the  ter- 
rors of  a  highly-imaginative  nervous  organiza- 
tion. His  experience  of  fire  rendered  it  horrible 
to  him,  and  the  idea  of  his  room  breaking  into 
flames  while  he  was  locked  in  it,  was  unbearable ; 
then  the  voices  in  some  adjacent  rooms  often 
grew  loud  and  fierce,  and  sometimes  he  heard 
violent  scuffles  and  blows.  But  constantly,  as 
soon  as  nightfall  came,  and  the  lamps  were 
lighted  outside,  he  would  become  conscious  of  the 
clinking  of  money,  and  certain  words  that  he 
had  once  before  been  accustomed  to  hear.  What 
were  they  ?  He  did  not  understand  them  at  all ; 
but  he  knew  his  mother  would  sit  and  cry,  and 
that  it  was  his  father's  voice  they  would  hear 
above  the  rattling  of  dice  and  the  cries  of 
chagrin  or  triumph. 

There  was  one  window  in  each  room,  and  from 
it  he  found  out  that  they  were  living  up  staira 


LENNY'S  PEISON.  229 

in  a  large  dirty-looking  house,  and  that  a  deep 
damp  yard,  fenced  in  by  tall  and  equally  dingy 
buildings,  was  the  only  look-out  there  was. 
Jerry's  trade  and  his  father's  seemed  to  be  the 
same.  Day  after  day  the  sounds  became  more 
and  more  familiar,  and  the  calm  delights  of  his 
dear  old  home  seemed  to  float  away  behind  the 
clouds  of  despairing  gloom  that  rose  around  the 
present. 

Yet  the  child  never  ceased  to  pray,  and  faith 
kept  alive  his  sinking  heart,  for  he  believed  that 
God  was  near,  and  remembered  the  seed  he 
planted  in  his  beautiful  garden,  that  had  to  wait 
for  the  warm  air  and  rain  to  ripen  it  into  growth 
and  verdure. 

Sometimes  it  was  very  late  when  Jerry  tum- 
bled into  bed,  and  once  the  day  was  dawning 
clear  and  bright  before  his -staggering  feet  were 
heard  outside  the  door,  and  his  clumsy  hand 
fumbled  with  the  key.  Lenny  peeped  up  to  look 
at  him  as  he  passed  his  little  cot,  and  the  expres- 


230     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

sion  of  his  face  was  hideously  distorted  by  drink 
and  passion.  Kicking  the  things  around,  he 
swore  frightfully  about  his  losses  at  cards,  and 
tumbled  on  the  bed  with  curses  against  the  win- 
ners, half-uttered  and  choked  by  heavy  snores. 
Lenny  lay  trembling,  and  his  heart  beat  so 
loudly  that  he  could  scarcely  breathe ;  but  it  was 
not  with  fear.  No — hope  and  joy  animated  his 
breast  once  more,  and  he  almost  sobbed  out  a 
prayer  of  thanksgiving,  for  the  drunken  wretch 
had  not  removed  the  key  from  the  door,  but  had 
only  closed  it  with  a  bang,  and  was  now  in  a 
deep  intoxicated  slumber,  unconscious  of  any- 
thing around  him.  Lenny  lay  awhile,  to  be  per- 
fectly sure  of  it,  then  noiselessly  and  tremblingly 
arose.  His  own  pretty  clothes  were  gone  long 
ago.  It  was  cold  weather  now,  and  a  good  stout 
coarse  suit  had  been  provided  by  Jerry,  for  his 
and  a  young  German,  who  never  spoke  to  him, 
were  the  only  two  faces  he  had  looked  on  since 
he  entered  the  room.     As  he  put  his  things  on,  a 


LENNY'S  PRISON.  231 

sudden  and  paralyzing  fear  seized  him.  Sup- 
pose he  should  be  seen  and  brought  back  !  Sup- 
pose he  could  find  no  other  door  open,  and  would 
have  to  return  of  his  own  accord !  But  he  had 
only  one  Friend,  and  to  Him  he-  turned  in 
prayer. 

"  0,  God,  my  dear  Father  in  Heaven !  help 
me  to  get  safe  home!"  he  said,  and  he  said  it 
with  all  his  heart,  and  found  strength  in  the 
utterance.  Softly  he  moved  the  door  —  like  a 
cat  he  stole  out  into  the  great  long  entry  he  had 
never  seen  before.  He  looked  about  him  in 
bewilderment — a  staircase  was  at  the  other  end, 
and  down  it  he  went  without  a  sound.  One,  two 
flights,  and  he  came  to  an  oil-clothed  entry, 
where  the  same  German  was  beginning  to  scrub. 
At  sight  of  him,  Lenny  darted  back  and  hid  him- 
self under  the  stairs.  A  pause  occurred,  while 
the  man  beat  the  mat  outside  the  door,  and 
Lenny  held  his  breath,  lest  he  should  betray 
himself  by   a   sound.     Then   the  man   leisurely 


232     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

passed  him  with  his  bucket,  and  knelt  down  with 
'■  his  back  towards  him  at  the  other  end  of  the 
hall.  It  was  his  opportunity,  and  Lenny  seized 
it  as  wisely  as  if  he  had  been  a  dozen  years 
older.  He  waited  till  the  noise  of  the  brush  on 
the  canvas  should  drown  the  sound  of  his  foot- 
steps, and  then,  with  a  silent  cry  to  God  for 
help,  he  fled  away,  and  was  out  in  the  streets  of 
a  strange  city. 


CHAPTER    SIXTEENTH. 

LENNY'S  WANDERINGS. 

§T  was  growing  dusk  when,  faint  and  foot- 
sore, Lenny  knocked  at  the  door  of  a  poor- 
f  looking  house  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city 
where  he  had  been  kept  in  confinement  so 
long.  There  were  flat  brick-fields  round  about 
it,  and  pools  of  stagnant  water ;  it  was  ill-built 
and  poorly  painted,  being  one  of  a  partially- 
finished  row  erected  for  the  accommodation  of 
laborers  and  their  wives,  and  having  none  of  the 
conveniences  or  adornments  of  a  better  class  of 
dwellings ;  yet  Lenny  had  picked  it  out  from 
many  a  fine  one,  because  of  the  glimpse  of  kindly 
home-life  within. 

(233) 


234     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Misery  had  made  hini  cunning,  and  he  was 
slow  to  ask  aid,  lest  he  might  meet  with  an 
enemy  who  would  deliver  him  again  to  the  bond- 
age from  which  he  had  escaped ;  so  he  had  wan- 
dered as  far  away  from  that  quarter  as  he  could 
get,  and  watched  about  to  see  some  of  the 
inmates  of  a  house  before  he  would  trust  his  fate 
in  their  hands.  In  this  one  there  was  only  a 
thin  half-curtain  on  the  single  front  window,  and 
a  good  sort  of  woman  was  revealed,  making  a 
slice  of  toast  at  the  comfortable  fire  for  a  sick 
girl  on  a  settee.  She  answered  Lenny's  knock 
with  the  bread  on  her  fork,  and  seemed  surprised 
at  his  delicate  face  and  refined  manner. 

"  Are  you  lost,  my  boy  ?"  wore  the  first  words 
she  said ;  and  when  he  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, she  took  him  in  directly,  without  another 
word,  and  accommodated  him  with  a  seat .  at  the 
fire. 

"  Get  warm  and  take  a  mouthful  before  you 


LENNY'S  WANDERINGS.  235 

go  any  further — then  we'll  try  and  set  you 
right,"  she  said. 

The  tears  stood  in  Lenny's  eyes  at  her  kind- 
ness ;  and  being  both  tired  and  hungry,  he  thank- 
fully availed  himself  of  it. 

While  he  ate  and  drank  the  wholesome  food 
she  set  before  him,  he  tried  to  decide  whether  he 
dared  to  trust  her  with  his  story ;  but  an  inex- 
plicable dread  of  the  one  he  blamed  as  the  cause 
of  all  his  misery  sealed  his  lips,  and  all  he  could 
say  was  that  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  next  town, 
which  he  knew  was  on  his  way  homeward. 

The  woman  regarded  him  with  a  look  of  sur- 
prise, not  unmixed  with  suspicion. 

"  What  is  such  a  little  fellow  as  you  doing  so 
far  from  home?"  she  asked. 

"  0,  please  tell  me  the  way  !  I'll  let  you  know 
all  when  I  get  there,  please  tell  me  the  way, 
ma'am,  if  you  will  be  so  kind !" 

His  distressed  manner,  and  the  earnestness  of 


236     A  D  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

his  words,  were  all  in  his  favor.  The  woman 
considered  awhile,  and  then  said : — 

"  My  daughter  is  going  through  that  way  to- 
morrow ;  she's  just  been  married,  and  going  back 
with  her  husband  to  where  we  used  to  live.  If 
you  really  want  to  go,  she'll  take  you.  But  I 
hope,  my  boy,  you  are  not  trying  to  run  away 
from  home?" 

Lenny  protested  with  such  earnestness  that  he 
only  wanted  to  go  home,  that  after  a  little  more 
dubious  head-shaking  the  woman  seemed  satisfied, 
particularly  as  the  sick  girl  on  the  sofa  seemed 
greatly  prepossessed  in  his  favor.  He  seemed  so 
weary,  that  his  kind  hostess  put  a  comforter  on 
the  carpet  near  the  stove,  and  told  him  to  lie 
down,  which  he  was  not  loath  to  do,  and  soon  fell 
sound  asleep.  When  he  awoke  the  young  mar- 
ried person  and  her  husband  were  there.  They 
looked  honest  and  kind,  and  belonged  to  the 
better  part  of  the  working  class.  They  accepted 
Lenny  readily  as  a  companion,  although  the  man 


LENNY'S  WANDERINGS.  237 

seemed  to  think  he  was  a  "little  too  close,"  as  he 
expressed  it,  and  advised  him  to  tell  them  some- 
thing about  himself,  as  no  doubt  they  could  heir, 
him. 

"  Wait  till  I  get  out  of  this  town,"  said  Lenny, 
mysteriously ;  and  seeing  that  he  attached  so 
much  importance  to  leaving  the  city,  silently 
they  yielded. 

They  were  very  near  the  depot,  and  as  the 
first  morning  train  went  through,  they  all  got  on 
the  cars  and  took  their  places.  It  was  very 
frosty,  and  in  kindness  for  the  poorly  protected 
child  the  young  woman  wrapped  him  in  a  spare 
cloak  she  had,  drawing  the  hood  over  his  cap. 
It  was  a  singularly  fortunate  kindness  on  her 
part,  for  it  was  scarcely  done  when  Lenny's 
frightened  eyes  beheld  the  terrible  Jerry  walk 
through  the  car  looking  on  all  sides,  but  glanc- 
ing lightly  at  the  bundled  figure  beside  the 
young  woman,  as  if  taking  it  for  granted  that  it 
was   her    child.     The    boy  neither   moved    nor 


238     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

stirred,  nor  could  he  find  power  to  do  so — all  his 
t  strength  went  up  in  a  silent  thanksgiving  as  the 
car  started  with  a  shrill  scream  and  whistle,  and 
he  had  another  glimpse  of  Jerry  standing  brood- 
ing and  disappointed  on  the  platform  as  they 
passed.  The  young  woman,  whose  name  was 
Mary,  turned  round  and  looked  at  him  to  see  if 
he  were  comfortably  fixed. 

Happening  to  touch  his  hand,  she  started  back, 
exclaiming : — 

"  Why,  Terry,  this  poor  child  is  like  ice !  I — I 
wish  he  could  have  a  drop  of  warm  wine  or  some- 
thing." 

"No,  no,  thank  you!  I  am  quite  well  now," 
cried  Lenny,  gladly.  "  0,  I  am  so  happy  I  am 
on  my  way  home!"  and  he  burst  into  a  shower 
of  happy  joyous  hopeful  tears  that  relieved  his 
over-tried  spirit,  and  made  his  pale  little  face 
shine  brightly,  like  the  sunlight  after  a  summer 
shower. 

He  now  gained  courage  to  speak  more  freely, 


LENNY'S  WANDERINGS.  239 

and  desired  them  earnestly  to  set  him  on  his  way 
to  the  city  where  his  aunt  lived,  saying  he  had 
been  taken  away  wickedly,  though  he  dare  not 
yet  tell  them  his  friends'  names. 

'  After  a  little  consultation  the  husband  and 
wife  decided  to  put  the  affair  in  the  hands  of  a 
brother  and  sister  they  called  John  and  Hattie, 
and  so,  troubling  him  no  more  about  his  affairs, 
they  took  the  best  care  of  Lenny,  and  landed 
safe  and  comfortable  in  their  own  place  before 
nightfall. 

It  was  quite  a  decent  house,  cleanly  and  tidy 
in  outward  appearance,  and  larger  than  houses 
occupied  by  people  of  that  class  usually  are. 

Mary,  who  had  not  seen  it  before,  was  de- 
lighted at  its  superiority. 

"Why,  it's  a  grand  house!"  she  said,  looking 
up  admiringly  at  the  outside.  "  I  never  thought 
we  could  afford  such  a  place." 

"  Why,  you  know,  John  and  Hattie  have  a 
lodger  on  the  second  floor,  and  they  manage  it 


240     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

so  that  it  don't  cost  any  more  than  a  small  one 
would." 

As  he  spoke  he  opened  the  front  door,  and 
immediately  a  sharp  querulous  little  bark  was 
heard,  at  which  Lenny's  heart  gave  a  strange 
joyous  bound. 

"  That's  the  lodger's  dog,  you  must  not  mind 
him,  he's  a  pretty  playful  little  fellow,"  explained 
Terry,  and  the  same  moment  a  very  beautiful 
spaniel  appeared  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  while 
the  parlor  door  was  opened,  and  a  clear  light 
shone  out  into  the  passage. 

'  Bow,  wow,  wow  !"  went  the  dog,  not  angrily 
— just  inquiringly — as  he  looked  down  with  his 
sharp  bright  eyes  to  be  sure  of  who  was  below. 

Lenny  stood  an  instant  gasping  for  breath; 
then,  uttering  a  wild  cry  of  joy,  he  shouted  "  little 
Perry — little  Perry  !"  and  throwing  himself  on 
the  stairs,  rolled  over  and  over  in  an  ecstasy  of 
joy,  with  the  little  dog  clasped  to  his  bosom. 

Meantime    the    astonished    Terry    and    Mary 


LENNY'S  WANDERINGS.  241 

looked  on  in  silence,  until  the  people  within  ran 
out  and  welcomed  them  heartily. 

"But  what's  this  !"  cried  the  good  woman  of 
the  house ;  "  where  did  you  find  this  boy  ? 
Come  in,  my  dear.  Why,  bless  us  and  save  us, 
this  is  the  pretty  little  gentleman  that  loved  my 
little  Johnny !  Do  you  know  me,  dear  ?  0, 
tell  me  about  him,  Mary,  where  did  you  find  him  ? 
John,  this  is  our  good  lady's  little  boy !  0,  dear, 
what  a  surprise !" 

Yes,  Lenny's  wondering  eyes  did  not  deceive 
him ;  it  was  Mrs.  Murray  who  held  him  in  her 
arms,  and  with  all  the  gratitude  of  her  warm 
nature  embraced  him  over  and  over  again,  while 
he  was  trying  to  find  breath  to  speak. 

At  last  his  tongue  was  loosened  ;  he  was  among 
friends,  and  he  felt  safe;  sitting  down  amidst 
them  all,  with  every  wondering  eye  upon  him, 
and  the  caressing  dog  clasped  in  his  arms,  he 
told  his  sorrowful  story,  and,  amid  sobs  that 
shook  his  whole  frame,  gave  expression  to  his 
16 


242     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

gratitude  to  God,  who  had  so  wonderfully  rescued 
him  from  his  miserable  confinement. 

"And  the  dog  !"  cried  Mrs.  Murray,  when  she 
could  command  herself  to  speak  beyond  exclama- 
tions of  joy  and  thankfulness ;  "  look  at  him 
licking  the  child's  face  and  hands  so  affec- 
tionately." 

"  He  is  my  old  Perry ;  mamma  brought  him 
in  a  ship.  I  know  all  now ;  I  was  so  frightened 
by  that  fearful  fire  that  it  made  me  forget ;  but 
now  I  know,  we  ran  away  from  my  cruel " 

The  boy  stopped,  for  his  mother's  teachings 
were  remembered  yet — he  was  never  to  accuse 
his  father — he  was  to  strive  to  forget  all  that 
was  evil  and  wicked  in  him,  and  pray  for  him 
always.  While  these  thoughts  pressed  on  his 
mind,  Mrs.  Murray,  who  had  hastily  run  from 
the  room,  returned  with  a  foreign  woman  in  a 
Swiss  cap,  with  a  broad  good-humored  face,  in 
which  only  wonder  was  expressed  at  present. 


LENNY'S  WANDERINGS.  243 

'Babette!"  screamed  Lenny,  at  the  sight  of 
her,  and  flew  into  her  arms. 

She  caught  him  with  a  cry  of  astonished  plea- 
sure, and  hugging  and  dragging  him  with  her, 
tan  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  crying,  in  a  mixture 
of  French  and  English  that  was  almost  unin- 
telligible, 

"  Franz,  Franz,  come  quickly,  and  see  our 
child !  Mademoiselle  Leonore's  child !  Ah ! 
Heaven  is  too  good !  too  good !  and  I  am  too 
happy!" 

A  Swiss  of  respectable  appearance  answered 
this  call,  and,  falling  into  a  scarcely  less  excited 
state  than  his  wife,  embraced  Lenny  with  great 
affection,  which  the  boy  as  ardently  returned. 


CHAPTER    SEVENTEENTH. 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY. 

)B>.  and  Miss  Brenthurst  did  not  allow 
the  sorrow  they  felt  in  the  loss  of  the 
boy  so  dear  to  both,  to  in  anywise 
lessen  the  full  measure  of  their  useful 
charities,  or  detract  from  the  loving  benevolence 
of  their  beautiful  characters. 

Always  ready  to  further  the  interests  of  the 
deserving,  Miss  Brenthurst  had  done  much  tc 
improve  the  circumstances  of  Dick  and  his 
mother,  and  found  the  greatest  pleasure  her 
anxious  heart  could  know  in  fulfilling  the  wishes 
of  her  lost  favorite.  Everything  that  could 
throw  the  least  ray  of  light  on  the  mysterious 

(244) 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY.  245 

circumstance  of  his  disappearance  was  sifted  to 
the  last  grain.  A  woman  who  had  once  been 
employed  in  the  family  with  her  husband,  whose 
name  was  Jerry  Burke,  and  both  of  whom  had 
been  dismissed  for  dishonesty,  had  been  arrested 
and  examined  because  she  had  drrven  through 
Greenslope  in  a  strange  way  that  day,  and  had 
been  seen  lurking  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
house ;  but  not  a  syllable  to  convict  her  of  any 
part  in  the  business  had  been  elicited ;  and  al- 
though her  proceedings  were  strictly  watched, 
nothing  connected  with  them  gave  the  least  clue 
to  suspicion. 

Simmons  had  told  the  story  of  Lenny's  alarm, 
so  had  Jenny ;  and  although  it  seemed  that  this 
unknown  person  must  be  the  guilty  man,  no- 
thing to  lead  to  his  discovery  could  be  found,  and 
so  the  matter  rested.  Meantime,  Clement's 
sympathy  and  anxiety  were  so  great  as  to  make 
Miss  Brenthurst  quite  forget  her  former  objec- 
tions to  his  callous  and  selfish  nature,  and  en- 


246     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

deavor  by  every  present  kindness  to  make  up  for 
past  suspicion  and  neglect. 

And  yet  it  was  a  sorrowful  household.  Every 
servant  in  it  daily  recalled  the  dear  boy's  gentle 
traits  of  kindness ;  and  cook  was  never  tired  of 
enlarging  on  the  last  words  he  spoke  to  her. 
She  would  bring  the  great  rose  he  gave  her, 
pressed  between  the  leaves  of  her  hymn-book, 
and  tearfully  display  it  to  Miss  Brenthurst,  as 
one  cherishes  and  weeps  over  mementoes  of  the 
dead. 

It  was  a  beautiful  winter's  day,  when  the  sun 
was  lighting  up  the  icicles  in  the  garden  into  a 
brilliant  set  of  miniature  rainbows,  and  making 
the  snow-covered  beds  so  very  bright  that  you 
had  to  wink  as  you  looked  on  them.  Cook  was 
busy  in  the  kitchen,  for  there  was  a  more  than 
usual  amount  of  cooking  on  hand.  It  was  Clem- 
ent's birthday,  and  his  cousin  had  asked  him 
to  dine  with  them,  although,  as  her  sad  face  ex 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY.  247 

pressed,  she  did  not  much  enjoy  the  prospect 
of  entertaining  company. 

Cook  was  doing  her  duty,  though  he  was  no 
favorite  with  her,  as  she  confessed,  but  Miss 
Brenthurst  had  said,  "Prepare  a  good  dinner;" 
and  so  it  was  in  progress  of  preparation,  when 
Bessie  ran  in  breathlessly — crying  out : — 

"  Cook,  there's  a  whole  carriage-load  of  people 
in  the  hall,  and  I  am  almost  wild,  for  I  think  they 
know  something  of  Master  Lenny.  Shall  I  show 
them  into  the  room,  where  Miss  Brenthurst  and 
Mr.  Clement  are  ?" 

"  I  would,"  cried  cook,  becoming  equally  ex- 
cited. "  0,  Bessie,  do  you  believe  it  ?  can  there 
be  any  news  ?  0,  do  run  and  listen  !  I  am  crazy 
to  hear." 

The  drawing-room  door  was  thrown  wide  open, 
and  with  many  curtsies  Mrs.  Murray  and  her 
party  entered,  at  Bessie's  suggestion.  Clement 
rose,  so  did  Miss  Brenthurst,  who  met  her  hum- 
ble  friend    with    characteristic    kindness.      The 


248     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Swiss  woman  and  her  husband  were  introduced, 
and  Clement  started  back  with  a  dismayed  and 
guilty  face.  Mrs.  Murray  had  her  eyes  on  him, 
and  stepped  before  the  door. 

"  Please  stay  here,  sir,"  she  said,  quietly  ;  "  we 
will  need  you  to  set  Miss  Brenthurst's  mind  at 
rest.  0,  here  is  her  brother;"  and  she  stepped 
aside,  curtsying  to  Mr.  Brenthurst,  who  had  just 
entered. 

Then  she  began  the  story,  which,  taking  into 
consideration  the  Swiss's  imperfect  knowledge  of 
English,  it  was  thought  best  should  be  told  by  her  ; 
but  which  both  husband  and  wife  certified  to,  by 
a  constant  series  of  energetic  nods  as  it  pro- 
gressed. 

They  had  been  in  the  service  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merton,  sister  and  brother-in-law  to  the  lady  and 
gentleman  then  present,  and  had  travelled  and 
lived  with  them  in  various  ways  almost  ever  since 
they  had  been  abroad.  Mr.  Merton  had  become 
a  little  wild,  and  left  his  wife  alone  the  greater 


LENNY' S  PEA  CE  AND  J  9  Y.  249 

portion  of  the  time,  while  he  went  off  to  some  very 
gay  places,  where  there  was  a  great  deal  of  gam- 
bling and  excitement.  The  poor  lady  was  a  most 
unhappy  and  very  delicate  being,  at  times  so  ill 
that  they  feared  she  would  die  before  his  return. 
But  once,  when  he  came  back  and  said  he  was 
completely  ruined,  he  behaved  with  such  dreadful 
cruelty  to  them  that  she  and  her  child  were  often 
in  danger  of  their  lives. 

The  Swiss  and  his  wife  had  heard  her  say 
that  she  had  relatives  in  America,  and  to  them, 
at  this  juncture,  they  implored  her  to  appeal,  foi 
her  child's  sake,  if  not  for  her  own.  But  she 
appeared  strangely  averse  to  yield  to  their  en- 
treaties, although  she  acknowledged  they  had 
always  been  kind  and  good  to  her. 

At  length  one  day,  in  a  fit  of  drunken  fury, 
he  struck  her,  so  as  to  cause  her  to  fall  and 
receive  a  serious  injury.  This  last  outrage  de- 
cided her,  and,  gaining  courage  from  despair,  she 
listened  to  her  humble  friends'  entreaties,  and  left 


250     AD  VENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

him  secretly,  carrying  her  child  with  her.  They 
crossed  the  ocean  and  came  to  America,  where 
both  the  Swiss  and  his  wife  had  found  ready  em- 
ployment in  a  toy  and  wicker-work  house ;  but 
Mrs.  Merton,  dreading  to  meet  her  family  with- 
out having  some  clue  to  their  feelings  towards 
her,  wrote  appealingly  to  a  cousin,  Mr.  Clement 
Blye,  as  they  had  since  learned  his  name  to  be. 

Both  husband  and  wife,  who  were  closely  and 
attentively  following  Mrs.  Murray's  narration, 
here  pointed  towards  the  conscience-stricken 
young  man,  whose  white  and  troubled  face  bore 
palpable  evidence  of  his  identity  with  the  person 
they  named. 

He  came  in  answer  to  the  letter — the  story 
proceeded — but  what  passed  between  them  nc 
one  could  say,  except  that  his  account  of  her 
relatives'  feelings  towards  her  appeared  to  plunge 
the  unfortunate  lady  in  the  deepest  despair,  and 
her  grief  and  dejection,  when  he  left  her,  were 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY.  251 

heart-breaking  to  her  humble  but  devoted  friends 
to  witness. 

Some  time  passed  in  this  way ;  he  came  fre- 
quently, always  seeming  to  urge  delay  and  dis- 
courage an  appeal  to  her  brother's  and  sister's 
forgiveness.  The  arguments  he  used  were  a 
secret  to  the  Swiss  and  his  wife ;  but  they  saw 
their  effect  was  to  make  their  poor  lady  frantic 
with  distress  and  misery.  Sometimes  he  gave 
her  money — sometimes  he  would  promise  to  use 
new  efforts  to  soften  her  friends ;  but  after  this 
unbearable  delay  had  lasted  for  months,  Mrs. 
Merton  had  suddenly  gained  courage  from 
despair,  and  written  directly  to  her  family,  that 
she  was  coming  home  to  die  with  them,  implor- 
ing them  to  receive  and  pity  her  innocent  child. 
Not  waiting  for  an  answer,  she  had  started,  beg- 
ging those  she  left  behind  to  pray  for  her  suc- 
cess, and  promising  that  if  she  were  not  fortunate 
enough  to  win  the  compassion  of  her  brother  and 
sister,  she  would  return  to  them. 


252     ADVENTURES  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

They  never  saw  or  heard  of  her  again ;  they 
knew  no  English  in  which  to  make  inquiries,  and 
she  had  carefully  concealed  from  them  her 
brother's  name.  They  could  only  hope  that  she 
had  been  welcomed  so  kindly  as  to  forget  all  past 
sorrow  and  trouble,  and  found  herself  and  child 
so  comfortably  settled  as  to  no  longer  need  their 
services,  and  perhaps  her  people  were  too  proud 
to  allow  her  to  communicate  with  humble  souls 
like  themselves. 

As  she  listened,  Miss  Brenthurst  had  sunk 
weeping  on  her  knees,  and  her  brother's  arms  in 
vain  endeavored  to  raise  her  from  her  suppliant 
attitude. 

"  Leonore !  0  !  my  sister,  my  beloved  Leo- 
nore  !"  was  all  she  could  utter;  and  her  cries 
of  grief  and  agony,  as  she  recalled  that  death  in 
the  burning  lodging-house,  must  have  been  a 
terrible  retribution,  as  they  rung  in  the  ears  of 
the  wicked  author  of  so  much  misery. 

But  no  —  a  bitterer  still  awaited    him,  when 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY.  253 

Mr.  Murray,  having  stayed  without  in  the  car- 
riage till  now,  burst  in  with  Lenny  in  his  arms, 
and  gave  him  to  her  wounded  spirit,  like  a  solace 
sent  from  Heaven. 

'  Yes,  that  was  the  greatest  sting  the  jealous, 
sordid  Clement  Blye  could  know  on  earth  !  All 
his  plottings  and  strivings  were  in  vain — all  his 
deceit  and  sinful  scheming  went  for  nothing ; 
for,  safe  in  his  dear  aunt's  arms,  the  innocent 
object  of  all  his  foul  snares  nestled,  happy, 
thankful,  and  blest,  beyond  the  power  of  words 
to  convey. 

And  thus  his  wickedness  was  rewarded.  God 
had  overruled  evil  for  good,  and  used  his  efforts 
to  inflict  misery  as  the  means  of  producing  joy. 

For  the  sake  of  becoming  the  sole  heir  of  his 
relatives,  he  had  made  himself  a  disgraced  man 
and  an  outcast ;  for  while  the  tears  of  sorrow 
were  mingling  with  bursts  of  gladness  in  that 
little  household,  Mr.  Brenthurst,  with  his  eyes 
averted,  as  if  he  could  not  look  on  such  a  family 


254     ADVENTURES.  OF  LITTLE  LENNY. 

Judas,  had  opened  the  door  and  motioned  his 
unworthy  cousin  to  leave  the  house  for  ever, 
which  he  did  without  a  word,  too  glad  to  escape 
the  punishment  of  the  law  due  to  such  crimes  as 
he  had  committed,  to  attempt  to  justify  himself 
by  any  new  deceit. 

Miss  Brenthurst's  tears  fell  fast  for  the  sad, 
sad  fate  of  her  lost  sister,  and  her  smiles  of  hap- 
piness, as  she  looked  on  Leonard — no,  always 
her  "little  Lenny," — in  whose  face  that  darling 
sister  seemed  to  live  again,  were  a  balm  to  her 
bowed  spirit,  and  joy  triumphed  over  grief,  and 
peace  and  thanksgiving  lifted  every  heart  above 
the  clouds  of  past  trouble. 

There  was  a  regular  jubilee,  in  which  every 
soul  in  that  household  shared.  Simmons  and  his 
.vife,  Dick  and  his  mother,  Uncle  Nep  and  Mrs. 
Garland  and  Jenny,  were  all  brought  together, 
to  share  the  glad  rejoicing,  and  there  was  not  a 


LENNY'S  PEACE  AND  JOY.  255 

heart  in  all  the  joyous  company  that  did  not  join 
in  Lenny's  simple  prayer  : — 

"  I  love  God  more  than  I  can  tell,  because  he 
has  made  my  dear  home  my  real  home,  and  I 
hope  he  will  teach  me  to  be  as  good  as  I  am 
happy ;  and  so  I  must  begin  by  forgiving  every- 
body who  caused  me  any  trouble,  and  loving 
everybody.  0  !  how  many  they  are  who  give 
me  pleasure,  and  make  me  thankful  and  humble, 
too !" 


THE  END. 


